Heng Pov
Encyclopedia
Heng Pov (born December 1, 1957 in Kandal Province
, Cambodia
) was the Undersecretary of State and an assistant to the Minister of the Interior of Cambodia, as well as police commissioner
of the city of Phnom Penh
, and a personal advisor to Prime Minister
Hun Sen
.
Heng Pov was born in Kandal province to a family of Chinese
-Vietnamese
descent. In 1981, Heng Pov married Tung Thi Van, the daughter of Tung Pov, Vietnamese government agent based in Phnom Penh
. The following year, Heng Pov joined the police force. Heng Pov was shot in the leg while on police duty in 1992, and his left leg was amputated. In July 2006, while he was in Malaysia for medical treatment on his leg stump, Cambodian officials announced that he was wanted on a variety of charges, including corruption, possession of illegal weapons, involvement in several high-profile murder
s, and possession of counterfeit
currency. Heng Pov responded by seeking refugee
status in Malaysia, and by releasing a lengthy statement accusing several high-profile Cambodian officials, including National Police Commissioner Hok Lundy
, of corruption and involvement in several high-profile murders.
While Malaysian officials were considering Heng Pov's refugee claim, Cambodian officials tried and convicted him in absentia
; Cambodian Minister of Information
Khieu Kanharith
said "if (he) says he knows about crimes within the government, it means he is an accomplice to these crimes. So he has no right to seek political asylum."
In December 2006, Finland
announced that it was willing to grant Heng Pov refugee status; instead, hours before he was supposed leave Malaysia for Finland, Malaysia handed him to Cambodian authorities who took him back to Cambodia in a private plane on 19 December 2006, where he was arrested and sentenced to multiple life sentences. His wife and three of his six children now reside in Finland, where they have been granted status as political refugees.
Khieu Thakvika, spokesman for the Cambodian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said that if Finland "regrets" about Heng Pov, Cambodia can send many criminals to Finland. http://www1.voanews.com/khmer-english/news/a-40-2006-12-22-voa1-90144627.html
Kandal Province
Kandal is a province of Cambodia. Its capital is Ta Khmao town . The province completely surrounds, but does not include, the national capital Phnom Penh...
, Cambodia
Cambodia
Cambodia , officially known as the Kingdom of Cambodia, is a country located in the southern portion of the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia...
) was the Undersecretary of State and an assistant to the Minister of the Interior of Cambodia, as well as police commissioner
Police commissioner
Commissioner is a senior rank used in many police forces and may be rendered Police Commissioner or Commissioner of Police. In some organizations, the commissioner is a political appointee, and may or may not actually be a professional police officer. In these circumstances, there is often a...
of the city of Phnom Penh
Phnom Penh
Phnom Penh is the capital and largest city of Cambodia. Located on the banks of the Mekong River, Phnom Penh has been the national capital since the French colonized Cambodia, and has grown to become the nation's center of economic and industrial activities, as well as the center of security,...
, and a personal advisor to Prime Minister
Prime Minister of Cambodia
The Prime Minister of Cambodia , is the head of government of the Kingdom of Cambodia. Prime Minister is appointed by the King under Article 119 of the Constitution and is responsible for leading the government of the Kingdom.-Constitutional powers:The powers of the Prime Minister are established...
Hun Sen
Hun Sen
Hun Sen is the current Prime Minister of Cambodia.He has been the sole leader of the Cambodian People's Party , which has governed Cambodia since the Vietnamese-backed overthrow of the Khmer Rouge in 1979...
.
Heng Pov was born in Kandal province to a family of Chinese
Chinese Cambodian
Chinese Cambodians are Cambodian citizens of Chinese descent. "Khmer-Chen", is used for peoples of either mixed Cambodian & Chinese descent or people of whom are Cambodian born citizens with Chinese ancestry;...
-Vietnamese
Vietnamese Cambodian
Vietnamese Cambodian constitute a significant portion of Cambodia's population, and is the largest ethnic minority in Cambodia. It refers to a Vietnamese person born in Cambodia or a person born of Vietnamese and Cambodian ancestry...
descent. In 1981, Heng Pov married Tung Thi Van, the daughter of Tung Pov, Vietnamese government agent based in Phnom Penh
Phnom Penh
Phnom Penh is the capital and largest city of Cambodia. Located on the banks of the Mekong River, Phnom Penh has been the national capital since the French colonized Cambodia, and has grown to become the nation's center of economic and industrial activities, as well as the center of security,...
. The following year, Heng Pov joined the police force. Heng Pov was shot in the leg while on police duty in 1992, and his left leg was amputated. In July 2006, while he was in Malaysia for medical treatment on his leg stump, Cambodian officials announced that he was wanted on a variety of charges, including corruption, possession of illegal weapons, involvement in several high-profile murder
Murder
Murder is the unlawful killing, with malice aforethought, of another human being, and generally this state of mind distinguishes murder from other forms of unlawful homicide...
s, and possession of counterfeit
Counterfeit
To counterfeit means to illegally imitate something. Counterfeit products are often produced with the intent to take advantage of the superior value of the imitated product...
currency. Heng Pov responded by seeking refugee
Refugee
A refugee is a person who outside her country of origin or habitual residence because she has suffered persecution on account of race, religion, nationality, political opinion, or because she is a member of a persecuted 'social group'. Such a person may be referred to as an 'asylum seeker' until...
status in Malaysia, and by releasing a lengthy statement accusing several high-profile Cambodian officials, including National Police Commissioner Hok Lundy
Hok Lundy
General Hok Lundy , also transliterated as Hok Lundi and Hoc Lundy, was the National Police Commissioner of Cambodia from 1994 to 2008; he had previously been the governor of Svay Rieng Province...
, of corruption and involvement in several high-profile murders.
While Malaysian officials were considering Heng Pov's refugee claim, Cambodian officials tried and convicted him in absentia
In absentia
In absentia is Latin for "in the absence". In legal use, it usually means a trial at which the defendant is not physically present. The phrase is not ordinarily a mere observation, but suggests recognition of violation to a defendant's right to be present in court proceedings in a criminal trial.In...
; Cambodian Minister of Information
Minister of Information
The Ministry of Information , headed by the Minister of Information, was a United Kingdom government department created briefly at the end of World War I and again during World War II...
Khieu Kanharith
Khieu Kanharith
Khieu Kanharith is the Cambodian Minister of Information. Khieu, formerly a newspaper editor, was first elected to the National Assembly of Cambodia in 1981. He was jailed in 1990 for suspicion of dissident activities; in 1991, Hun Sen asked him to serve as an advisor, and in 1992, he was promoted...
said "if (he) says he knows about crimes within the government, it means he is an accomplice to these crimes. So he has no right to seek political asylum."
In December 2006, Finland
Finland
Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...
announced that it was willing to grant Heng Pov refugee status; instead, hours before he was supposed leave Malaysia for Finland, Malaysia handed him to Cambodian authorities who took him back to Cambodia in a private plane on 19 December 2006, where he was arrested and sentenced to multiple life sentences. His wife and three of his six children now reside in Finland, where they have been granted status as political refugees.
Khieu Thakvika, spokesman for the Cambodian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said that if Finland "regrets" about Heng Pov, Cambodia can send many criminals to Finland. http://www1.voanews.com/khmer-english/news/a-40-2006-12-22-voa1-90144627.html
External links
- Official statement by the Cambodian government on the Finnish reaction to Heng Pov's deportation
- PDF of Heng Pov's statement at Archive.org (requires Acrobat Reader)
- Heng Pov's official website (via Archive.org)