Neang Teut commune police chief Chheng Thi in Tbong Khmum province’s Dombae district was summoned by district police to clarify his alleged use of abusive behaviour and inappropriate language that have caused discord between local authorities and residents.
Dombae district governor Sok Sarith said that on July 9, five village chiefs and officials in the commune wrote a joint letter requesting intervention from the district administration to remove Thi from his post.
According to Sarith, the village chiefs accused Thi of using abusive behaviour and language that resulted in conflict among authorities, village chiefs and residents.
“I have set up a committee to investigate the case, summoning the village chiefs one by one for questioning yesterday [November 7]. Our committee invited Chheng Thi for clarification as well,” Sarith confirmed.
“In front of the committee, Thi admitted that sometimes he used gestures and words that were not really nice to hear, but said his intentions were good. Thi wanted local authorities to strengthen law enforcement with the utmost responsibility,” h added.
Sarith said the committee had not made a decision and the investigation was ongoing.
Khtor village chief Su Min, one of the complainants, said that so far he and other village chiefs and officials were unhappy working with Thi and stood firm on the request to remove him from his post.
“We don’t want to talk about this person’s mistakes anymore. We only ask that the Dombae district administration reviews our complaint. We requested Thi’s removal and a good replacement,” Min said.
Thi declined to elaborate on the case, saying briefly: “I have nothing more to say other than to obey the orders and decisions of the leadership.”
