Cambodian Journalists Alliance Association

Three Youths Released on Bail, Join CPP and Confess Mistake for Involvement in Anti-CLV-DTA

A group photo of new CPP members which include Sak Kanika and other environmental activists at CPP’s headquarters in Phnom Penh on January 4, 2025. A photo post on Chhoeun Daravy’s Facebook.
A group photo of new CPP members which include Sak Kanika and other environmental activists at CPP’s headquarters in Phnom Penh on January 4, 2025. A photo post on Chhoeun Daravy’s Facebook.

Two former Youth Resource Development Program (YRDP) staff and a Khmer Student Intelligent League Association member were released on bail in December last year, having defected to the ruling Cambodian People’s Party and “confessed” to their “mistake” for involving in the Cambodia-Lao-Vietnam regional cooperation initiative.

Those who were released were YRDP staff Sak Kanika and Chheang Rithy, while the KSILA member was Seun Sreymai.

In a short video clip posted on December 30, they apologized to ex-prime minister Hun Sen and current premier Hun Manet and thanked them for “granting bail” so that they could meet their families. They also confessed their mistake for being involved in a network led by foreigners with ill-intention to create “a color revolution”. 

The trio defected to the ruling party on January 4, 2025 after being granted bail. They could not be reached for comment.

Kanika’s mother Phin Sovanny told CamboJA News that she was happy to see her daughter after being freed from a prison.

“My daughter has done a good deed, she was active in social work,” she said.

The three activists were not listed in the case filed in the Phnom Penh Municipal Court where 37 defendants are on trial for their views on Cambodia-Laos-Vietnam Development Triangle Area (CLV-DTA). They include Paris Peace Agreement activist Srun Srorn who was charged with incitement to disturb social harmony. 

Defense lawyer Son Chumchoun said the court has not scheduled the trial date for the 37 defendants as his clients have agreed to appeal against the court’s decision to split the case into five parts as there were “a lot of defendants” and the issues were “complicated”.

YRDP executive director Chan Ramy could not be reached for comment.

Ruling CPP spokesperson Sok Eysan said the party welcomed anyone including activists who have “broken up from extremist rebel groups”, in reference to former opposition leaders who lived abroad and criticized Cambodia’s leadership. 

He declined to elaborate a reason for their bail. 

NGO rights group Cambodian League for the Promotion and Defense of Human Rights (Licadho) operations director Am Sam Ath urged the release of all the activists who have been arrested, noting that the government already decided to withdraw from a regional development area agreement.

“It is good to release those people related to CLV in order to avoid criticism that they [public] have raised the issue of arrest involving political situations,” he said.

“We congratulate those who have been arrested by CLV and were released [bail],” Sam Ath added.

According to Licadho, over 100 people have been arrested since late July last year, with more than 60 charged and imprisoned for posting on social media, planning to assemble, or expressing opinions about the CLV-DTA. 

Around 30 individuals remain in jail on charges ranging from incitement to plotting to overthrow the government, including opposition party members, staff for civil society organizations, and even a civil servant, as per Licadho’s report.

CLV-DTA was established in 1999 to promote social-economic development, economic cooperation and closer relationships with the heads of government of three countries. In Cambodia, border provinces Stung Treng, Ratanakiri, Mondulkiri and Kratie, were initially designated to benefit from the agreement.

651 views