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Graham Cleghorn….victim
of injustice in |
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Home > News
Reports > 2006 |
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http://www.bangkokpost.com/breaking_news/breakingnews.php?id=113237
The chief prosecutor for the
northern provincial court of Siem Reap, So Vat, said the women had lodged the
complaint against the staff of the Siem Reap branch of the Cambodian Women's
Crisis Center (CWCC) on September 18 and demanded $1,500 in compensation for
the trauma caused by the alleged incident. In their complaint the mothers
claim the three girls, then aged between nine and 15, were taken from their
homes without their knowledge and held against their will in substandard
conditions for two weeks in October 2003 to coerce them to agree to say that
they had been sexually abused by an unidentified foreigner. So Vat said he believed the
foreigner was "The court will investigate
these claims (by the three mothers) because it is our job. However, this has
been a very long road. They waited a long time to make these complaints. I
wonder if outside forces are not encouraging them now," he said, but
declined to elaborate. Mothers Hean Teun, 41, Laem San,
49, and Phel Pen, who did not provide her age, claim in the complaint that
their children had been removed from their homes by CWCC Siem Reap staff in
October 2003 and told they would not be allowed home until they agreed they
had been sexually abused by one foreign man. The complaint claims the girls
were denied showers and toilet rights and confined to locked, mosquito-infested
quarters under guard without being provided with mosquito nets, and that when
they had managed to escape, they were recaptured before they could reach
their families and returned to the locked room by CWCC staff by force. The complaint further alleges that
when the mothers located the girls, they were only released on the condition
that the mothers agreed not to press charges in court in relation to their
detention. Contacted by telephone, Teun
declined to comment on why the women had chosen to file a court complaint
now, saying they could not reveal details of the case at this time. The three girls and their mothers
named in the new complaint refused to join the case against Cleghorn and are
expected to serve as defence witnesses for him when his case is reheard. Medical tests which the families
have previously also claimed publicly were conducted by the CWCC without
their consent showed no evidence of sexual abuse. CWCC director Oung Chanthol was
unavailable for comment on the complaint. However, the respected human
rights activist and founder of local rights group Licadho, Kek Galabru, said
she stood by CWCC, which is a partner organization of Licadho. She called the complaint
"regrettable" and said her organization would fully investigate the
matter. "In my experience, the CWCC
stance is not to take people unless they and their family agree to
this," she said. Cleghorn, a former tour guide, has
alleged he has been framed by powerful interests who want his valuable land,
located on the edge of the Angkor Wat temple complex. He has further alleged
that the five women who have testified he raped them were offered money in
exchange for their complaints. Earlier this year, the The CWCC has repeatedly dismissed
Cleghorn's allegations as "laughable" and denied his claims have
any basis in fact, saying the evidence against him is strong and clear. A new appeal hearing date for
Cleghorn has yet to be set. He remains in
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