Government officials Wednesday deny former police commissioner's murder charges, but opposition party and civil society officials appeal for Prime Minister Hun Sen's government to investigate these charges.
The denial and the appeal are being made after former police commissioner Heng Pov made a report on Tuesday, charging government officials of being involved with the July 1997 grenade attacks on innocent and non-violent demonstrators, actress Pisith Pelika's murder, Ministry of Interior's general secretary Ho Sok's murder, from FUNCINPEC party quota in 1997, and Mr. Heng Pov himself being threatened of murder if he continues his drug trafficking investigation.
Government spokesman and Minister of Information, Khieu Kanharith denies the charges, saying they are groundless and degrading the government, and that this government did not murder the popular actress or any other people.
National police commissioner Hok Lundy, in an interview with VOA Tuesday, says that he is aware of Mr. Heng Pov's nine-page report via e-mail two days ago, and that this report's goal is to get a political asylum.
Opposition party Sam Rainsy told reporters at the National Assembly that the government must investigate Mr. Heng Pov's charges even though there are no concrete evidences, and that those murderous acts cannot be forgotten.
Cambodia Center for Human Rights' (CCHR) director Kem Sokha appeals to the Cambodian government and the international community to investigate Mr. Heng Pov's report, to prevent suspiscion from arising in the future, whether or not the evidences are true or otherwise.
Executive Director of the Cambodian Defenders Project, and Law Lecturer, Sok Sam Oeun says that the information might be true or it might be false, but these charges may make the government leaders be on guard in the future, and not committing any offenses.
Last month, the Phnom Penh Municipal Court issued an arrest warrant for Mr. Heng Pov on charges suspecting him of numerous crimes, after the suspect fled to Singapore.
