A CNRP supporter in Battambang province’s Anlong Lvea village was detained and questioned yesterday for illegally signing official documents meant only for the village chief.

Tuy Chan, 70, lives in Wat Ta Muem commune, one of the many Battambang communes that the opposition CNRP took from the ruling CPP in the June 4 election.

“At 9am, commune police came and brought him to the station . . . Now, we are at the court,” said Chan’s son, Tuy Mao, over the phone yesterday.

While waiting to be questioned at court, Chan admitted in a phone interview that he signed the form.

“On Wednesday, a villager name Sari asked me again and again to sign a letter for her to go to the hospital,” Chan said, explaining Sari urgently needed an ID card in order to get medical help and the village chief was not home.

“I knew that I was wrong and I went to Ruom Neang, the village chief, to tell him about it. He said it was OK, not to worry. But this morning, police came and questioned me,” he said.

District Police Chief Sun Sovann said Neang filed the complaint against Chan.

Deputy CNRP President Mu Sochua said she was aware of the case, and said Chan was “a citizen and a supporter”, but was not being considered for a village chief position. “CNRP has no policy to replace the existing village chiefs,” she said.

Additional reporting by Andrew Nachemson