The Mirror, Vol. 14, No. 678
“Phnom Penh: Road traffic police officials brought the son of a rich person who drove a car and fatally hit two persons at 11:00 p.m. on 15 August 2010, in front of house number 5 on Monyreth Boulevard in Damnak Thom village, Stung Meanchey, Meanchey, Phnom Penh, for a hearing in the morning of 19 August 2010 to find justice for the two victim’s families. But as soon as the hearing finished, that man was freed immediately. It was a really lucky result for the son of a rich family.
“During the hearing, Mr. Te Sam Ang was the judge and Mr. Sok Roeun was the prosecutor, along with the presence of the accused, Bun Sokvisal, who was standing in the wooden dock. He is a doctor at a district referral hospital and lives in Prek Boeng village, Ang Snuol, Kandal. The verdict was to sentence him to two years in prison, but it was all suspended and he was fined to pay Riel 3 Million [approx. US$700] to the state, but without any compensation imposed for the two victim’s families.
“It has been said that after the accident, the rich family went to meet the victim’s families to negotiate, and they agreed to pay for the funeral, and to give them money in exchange for the withdrawal of their charges at the court. Maybe this is the reason for the decision of the judge.
“The driver of the car was Bun Sokvisal, the son of a well-known and rich official of the Phnom Penh Municipality. It is not known whether this decision was right or wrong, but usually, if there is a fatal traffic accident, the driver must be detained.
“On 11:00 p.m. on 15 August 2010, a light gray Camry car with the number Phnom Penh 2T-6542, driven by Bun Sokvisal, crashed into a motorbike, killing the driver and a companion.” Nokor Wat, Vol.1, #35, 20.8.2010
This article was first published by The Mirror, Vol. 14, No. 678 - Friday, 20.8.2010
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Norbert Klein is the Editor of The Mirror – The Mirror is a daily comprehensive summary and translation of the major Khmer language press - More about The Mirror