Four anti-economic crime police officers with the Ministry of Interior and two boat pilots have been arrested and questioned by the Anti-Corruption Unit over their alleged extortion of millions of riel from the fishermen on the Tonle Sap whom they were charged with policing, ACU deputy chief Chhay Savuth said yesterday.

Officers Chheang Leang Pov, 47, Mar Tayar, 54, Chea Kheng, 56, and Ytim Thana, 33, and boat pilots Rith Nim Leang, 33, and Kong Rith, 28, were arrested in Siem Reap province on Wednesday following complaints about the alleged extortion from local fishermen, Savuth said. The six were sent to the ACU in Phnom Penh on Thursday for questioning, along with evidence in the form of more than 4 million riel, two rifles and a notebook with the names of the fishermen.

Suos Narin, Siem Reap provincial investigator for rights group Adhoc, said his organisation had received complaints of such extortion and characterised the arrests as “reducing impunity in Cambodia”.