15/09/13
At least one man was shot dead and four seriously injured Sunday night when clashes broke out between protesters and police at a Phnom Penh bridge on the first day of the opposition party’s mass demonstration.
Police, military police and Ministry of Interior officials could not be reached for comment or declined to discuss whether the incident had led to any fatalities.
At local clinics near the overpass, numerous people were brought in for treatment of injuries caused in the clash.
When riot police retreated and citizens were finally permitted to cross over the bridge after more than two hours, many walked with their hands held above their heads. A number of people broke into tears as they crossed the blood-spattered bridge.
The body of Sok Chan, meanwhile, remained on the scene for hours before police attempted to take it away. As they approached, supporters grew agitated and began clashing with authorities again.
At about 12:45am, the group eventually allowed the body to be removed, but only by a UN car.
According to Military Police spokesman Kheng Tito, the clash began when a group of “opportunistic” protesters began tearing down barriers on the overpass at around 8pm. In response, military police threw a smoke bomb, which further incited tensions.
Protesters began cursing and throwing rocks at the police, who then fired AK-47s into the air at least half a dozen times.
But the incident was marked by immense police brutality. Police could be seen wielding tasers and kicking already-restrained men in the head. As they lay on their stomachs, police smashed them with batons.
Roads around the bridge were quickly sealed off and drivers searched and threatened by police, but the move did little to calm tensions. By the time police pulled out after 11pm, hundreds of them had been deployed to the scene.
The incident was the second time violence broke out, marring an otherwise peaceful day of mass demonstrations organised by the CNRP.
At Sisowath Quay, police used water cannons and unloaded volleys of smoke canisters on approximately 100 protesters – some of whom had forcibly removed police barricades and dragged razor wire fences into the Tonle Sap river.
The protesters responded to the use of water cannons by hurling rocks, shoes and pieces of metal from the destroyed barricades at police, which led to about a dozen smoke canisters being fired by the authorities.
One young man was caught in the razor wire as police continued to spray water at him and was convulsing as he was rushed from the scene.
The CNRP distanced itself from the violence, issuing a statement after the Sisowath Quay incident denouncing the aggression and stressing that their protest was both non-violent and confined to Freedom Park.
Around the capital and further afield, hundreds of police and military police patrolled key locations, blocking off dozens of roads with razor wire and checking identification of those trying to pass through.
The incidences were a far cry from the festival-like atmosphere at Freedom Park yesterday morning. As the leaders entered Freedom Park following marches from the party’s two offices, cheers went up from at least 20,000 supporters gathered to witness the kick-off to the planned three-day-long protest.
Party leaders re-iterated calls for a credible investigation into election irregularities, with deputy president Kem Sokha using foreign embassy statements calling for an investigation as evidence the international community does not recognise the election results.
