Login Register

Logo of Phnom Penh Post newspaper Phnom Penh Post - Bailed out: Mother, child are released from custody

Bailed out: Mother, child are released from custody

| Publication date 02 February 2015 | 07:52 ICT

Bailed out: Mother, child are released from custody

A mother and her 8-month-old daughter held in prison for allegations of illegal land clearing were released on bail by Preah Vihear Provincial Court due to health concerns for the two.

Lem Sokhem, 45, and her husband, Sorn Vuthy, 46, were arrested on January 13, after Preah Vihear’s provincial Forestry Administration lodged a court complaint against the couple for allegedly clearing state land, where they lived illegally, deputy prosecutor Ly Lon said yesterday.

The court released Sokhem and her daughter, because Sokhem suffers from an undisclosed illness, for which she requires regular injections, and her daughter is suffering from measles, Lon said. Vuthy remains in provincial prison, because the court fears he could interfere with the court’s investigation. The temporary release of Sokhem and her daughter was welcomed by rights group Adhoc, which is still lobbying for Vuthy’s release.

“We ask the Court of Appeal prosecutor to help free [Sokhem’s] husband,” said Lor Chan, a provincial Adhoc coordinator.

Adhoc considers the arrests a violation of human rights, which could have a chilling effect on activists.

Contact author: Pech Sotheary

MOST VIEWED

  • Wing Bank opens new branch in front of Orkide The Royal along Street 2004

    Wing Bank celebrates first anniversary as commercial bank with launch of brand-new branch. One year since officially launching with a commercial banking licence, Wing Bank on March 14 launched a new branch in front of Orkide The Royal along Street 2004. The launch was presided over by

  • Girl from Stung Meanchey dump now college grad living in Australia

    After finishing her foundational studies at Trinity College and earning a Bachelor’s degree from the University of Melbourne in 2022, Ron Sophy, a girl who once lived at the Stung Meanchey garbage dump and scavenged for things to sell, is now working at a private

  • Ministry using ChatGPT AI to ‘ease workload’; Khmer version planned

    The Digital Government Committee is planning to make a Khmer language version of popular artificial intelligence (AI) technology ChatGPT available to the public in the near future, following extensive testing. On March 9, the Ministry of Post and Telecommunications revealed that it has been using the

  • Wat Phnom hornbills attract tourists, locals

    Thanks to the arrival of a friendly flock of great hornbills, Hour Rithy, a former aviculturist – or raiser of birds – in Kratie province turned Phnom Penh tuk tuk driver, has seen a partial return to his former profession. He has become something of a guide

  • PM urges end to ‘baseless’ international Ream base accusations

    Prime Minister Hun Sen urges an end to “baseless” foreign accusations surrounding the development of the Kingdom’s Ream Naval Base, as the US has consistently suggested that the base is being expanded to accommodate a Chinese military presence. Hun Sen renewed his calls while

  • Almost 9K tourists see equinox sunrise at Angkor Wat

    Nearly 9,000 visitors – including 2,226 international tourists – gathered at Angkor Wat on March 21 to view the spring equinox sunrise, according to a senior official of the Siem Reap provinical tourism department. Ngov Seng Kak, director of the department, said a total of 8,726 people visited Angkor Wat to

Related articles