A party-goer has filed a complaint against two Siem Reap provincial police officers for beating and tasering him to unconsciousness, a rights worker said yesterday.

Uth Thin, 29, was beaten, kicked and shocked with electric batons at least six times by police after a wedding party in Kok Raing village of Puok district’s Muk Pen commune, claims Sours Narin, provincial investigator for the rights group Adhoc.

He said Uth Thin had an argument with a man at the wedding party who then warned him that he would have trouble with the police, who were intoxicated. When Uth Thin left the party, he was chased down and beaten by police before being brought into custody, he said.

Phoeung Phon, Puok district police chief, rejected the allegations but said it was likely that the police had improperly used electric batons due to “poor training”.  

“Our police officers did not use violence against the victim,” he said, adding police were attempting to arrest an intoxicated Uth Thin in order to prevent a fight, but he had resisted arrest.