Logo of Phnom Penh Post newspaper Phnom Penh Post - Resident from Borei Keila questioned on protest

Resident from Borei Keila questioned on protest

Borei Keila resident Phork Sophin (second left) speaks to the press on Tuesday outside of the Ministry of Interior, where she was questioned over a protest at a developer’s home.
Borei Keila resident Phork Sophin (second left) speaks to the press on Tuesday outside of the Ministry of Interior, where she was questioned over a protest at a developer’s home. Pha Lina

Resident from Borei Keila questioned on protest

Authorities questioned a Borei Keila resident on Tuesday for her role in a protest outside the home of developer Suy Sophan, who filed a complaint against her earlier in March.

Borei Keila resident Phork Sophin said that she may be charged with defamation and the destruction of personal property.

Sophin is one of hundreds of residents affected in a long-running land dispute with Sophan’s company, Phanimex, whose large-scale development forced them from their homes. The company pledged to build 10 apartment buildings for displaced residents but ended up only constructing eight, leaving some families in limbo.

Sophin and other residents gathered multiple times at Sophan’s house in February to demand compensation, and at one point banged on the gate after security guards confiscated their belongings.

“She cleared the houses and grabbed our land without providing solutions, but when I protest, they accuse us of ruining her reputation instead. Where is the justice?” she asked. “The poor like us cannot get justice? Who offers justice to us?”

Read more: Borei Keila eviction, 6 years on

Sok Khemrin, head of the Ministry of Interior’s Crime Department, where Sophin was questioned, said officials had asked about the protest last month, but neither detained nor charged her.

“I don’t know what she is accused of because I have not questioned her, but . . . if there is an arrest, the officials will call to ask for opinion from me,” he said, declining to comment further.

Sophan declined to comment.

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

  • Ministry orders all schools, public and private, to close for SEA Games

    From April 20 to May 18, all public and private educational institutions will be closed to maintain order and support Cambodia's hosting of the 32nd SEA Games and 12th ASEAN Para Games, said a directive from the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sport. Cambodia will host 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

  • 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