Two Candlelight Officials Removed From Health Ministry, Police Academy

Two opposition officials have been fired from their state jobs after they stood for office in the recent election, according to documents shared by the Candlelight Party, though one said he had not yet been notified by their employers. A Health Ministry decision shared by the party, dated Tuesday, said Keo Somony was removed from the department of mental health and drug abuse following a decision by a disciplinary committee. It did not specify a reason.

Somony stood as a second-ranked candidate for the Candlelight Party in Phnom Penh’s Chbar Ampov commune, he said on Wednesday, alleging the decision to fire him was political. He said he had not been given a warning, but had been informed of his termination by his department. “So I think this is 100% political discrimination,” he said. Somony filed a letter to the ministry on Wednesday seeking a review of the decision.

Health Ministry spokeswoman Or Vandine said she had not received information about Somony’s purported dismissal, while another spokesperson, Hok Kim Cheng, could not be reached. The second decision was signed by the Interior Ministry last week on June 16, according to an image shared by the Candlelight Party. The decision says Eng Srouy, a trainer at the police academy, was dismissed from the National Police because he had abandoned his work.

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