Violent clash erupts in Poipet #BreakingNews

[geovalin]

Khouth Sophak Chakrya

Military police fired shots in the air and severely beat a man in Poipet on Monday after a protest over import taxes at the provincial Customs and Excise Departed erupted into violence.

The crackdown came after enraged cross-border porters began hurling bricks at the department, breaking down the gate and burning tires.

Hean Trein, 26, a representative of the porters, said that protesters dispersed after the shots were fired, but a violent confrontation in which they used their carts to break down the gate of the customs office left at least three injured.

Trein identified the most seriously injured as Mao Son, also known as Sras, 35, who had been badly beaten by military police in the face, kneed in the chest and kicked in the stomach.

Police had handcuffed Son and were attempting to transfer him to a truck when protesters rushed the officers, seized Son back and attempted to send him to hospital.

In the ensuing scuffle, Son sustained further injuries, and lost consciousness, though protesters were ultimately successful in bringing him to hospital, Trein said.

Ran Sreymom, 27, Son’s wife, said her husband had regained consciousness in hospital, but was still confined to his bed.

“Right now, I need some people to help my husband, because he has a serious problem, and cannot get up. I’m afraid he will die of his wounds,” she said.

Poipet police chief Oum Sophal said that authorities had decided to open fire after protesters began pelting them with bricks, one of which struck a customs office security guard in the head.

“We needed to open fire in order to keep the peace and safety, and to restore public order,” he said. “They used violence to break down the gates of the Customs and Excise office, and damaged some cars and the building.”

Trein said that customs official Sem Sam Ath had told them that the office couldn’t drop the tax on imported goods, which is set at the national level, and had allegedly accused porters of obscuring the identity of the real owners of goods to avoid taxes on larger amounts.

He also reportedly asked protesters to cooperate, and assured them that it was the goods’ owners who were liable for the taxes, not the porters hired to bring them across.

However, protesters continued to demonstrate in front of the Customs office, setting tyres alight and smashing the building’s glass façade with bricks until they dispersed.

Chief customs official Chum Hey said the porters had been “tricked” into demonstrating by the businessmen who import goods across the border.

“Those protesters, they do not understand the taxation law,” he said. “They demanded our officials not charge taxes on [shipments of] less than 60 cases. Over 60 cases, they asked that officials drop the price. [These rules] are not described in the taxation law, and we do not respond to that request.”

“We call for the authorities, police and the court to find the businessmen who were behind the protesters to arrest and sentence them,” he added.

3 VIDEOS here

http://www.phnompenhpost.com/national/violent-clashes-poipet

[khwaibah]

Yes sir. Makes Thailand look tame.

[geovalin]

Tax protest turns violent

Tue, 26 May 2015

Khouth Sophak Chakrya

A protest over import taxes in Poipet town yesterday descended into brick-hurling and beatings, with the local governor ultimately pointing the finger at an opposition official and a local union boss for inciting the riot.

The demonstrators, one of whom was left hospitalised following the protest, only dispersed after military police fired several warning shots in the air.

Han Tren, 26, one of those involved in the protest, said that demonstrators fled after the shots were fired, but at least four were injured over the course of the day.

Tren identified the most seriously injured as Mao Son, also known as Sros, 35, who had been badly beaten by military police. Police had handcuffed Son and were attempting to transfer him to a vehicle when protesters rushed the officers, seized Son back and attempted to send him to hospital.

“The military police officer punched Mao Son in the face many times, kneed and handcuffed him, and was going to drag him to their car for detention, but we rushed to fight them and liberated him,” Tren said. “However, during the fight, he was beaten unconscious.”

Protesters were ultimately successful in bringing him to hospital, he added.

Ran Sreymom, 27, Son’s wife, said her husband had regained consciousness in hospital, but he was still confined to his bed.

“Right now, I need some people to help my husband, because he has a serious problem, and cannot get up. I’m afraid he will die of his wounds,” she said.

After sending Son to hospital, Tren said, protesters were met by customs official Sem Sam Ath and acting Customs Department director Nuon Sovuthy, who told them that the office couldn’t drop the tax on imported goods, which is set at the national level, and had allegedly accused porters coming across the city’s busy checkpoint of obscuring the identity of the goods’ real owners to avoid taxes on larger shipments.

He also reportedly asked protesters to cooperate, and assured them that it was the goods’ owners who were liable for the taxes, not the porters hired to bring them across. However, the protesters were unhappy with the officials’ explanation and demanded to meet permanent customs chief Chhuon Hai, who was on a trip to Phnom Penh.

Protesters then continued to demonstrate, ultimately setting tyres alight, knocking down the customs office gate and smashing the building’s glass facade and the windows of parked cars with bricks until they dispersed, according to a police officer.

Authorities hose off the remains of a small fire that was started by protesters yesterday after a protest turned violent in the town of Poipet. PHOTO SUPPLIED

Poipet police chief Um Sophal said that authorities had decided to open fire after protesters began pelting them with bricks, one of which struck a customs office security guard he identified as Em in the head.

“We needed to open fire in order to keep the peace and safety, and to restore public order,” he said. “They used violence to break down the gates of the Customs and Excise office, and damaged some cars and the building.”

Customs head Chhuon Hai said the porters had been “tricked” into demonstrating by the businessmen who import goods across the border, and called on the porters to simply tell customs officials the names of the owners of the goods so that the owners could be made to pay the appropriate tax.

“Those protesters, they do not understand the taxation law,” he said. “They demanded our officials not charge taxes on [shipments of] less than 60 cases. Over 60 cases, they asked that officials drop the price. [These rules] are not described in the taxation law, and we do not respond to that request.”

Tren, the demonstrator, said that the porters had actually demanded that shipments of less than 30 cases be made tax-free.

“We call for the authorities, police and the court to find the businessmen who were behind the protesters to arrest and sentence them,” Hai added.

However, Poipet Governor Ngor Meng Chroun, in a letter sent to the Banteay Meanchey provincial governor, said that he suspected CNRP deputy Poipet commune chief Chao Veasna and local IDEA union head Din Puthy of being behind the protest.

Veasna could not be reached for comment, but Sao Chandeth, an opposition senator for Banteay Meanchey, denied the claims, saying that as a local authority, Veasna would have been at the protest to simply observe.

http://www.phnompenhpost.com/national/tax-protest-turns-violent

[geovalin]

Probe into violence at Poipet gets under way

Thu, 28 May 2015

Khouth Sophak Chakrya

Banteay Meanchey provincial police yesterday said they had already begun gathering evidence in their investigation into a Poipet Town riot on Monday that left three protesters and a security guard injured, as local group Adhoc released a statement accusing the authorities of violating the rights of striking porters.

Provincial police chief Ath Khem said yesterday that while the investigation was under way, it remained unclear what factors instigated the riot.

“Now some of our police officials are beginning to investigate, but we have not yet found who is behind inciting the protesters to do a violent protest,” he said, adding that, “however, we have collected some evidence”.

Monday’s demonstration saw some 100 cross-border porters gather in front of the Poipet Town offices of the Customs and Excise Department, blocking traffic with their carts and demanding that taxes on goods imported from Thailand be lowered.

Police and protesters clashed at the standoff, with one protester being badly beaten and ultimately hospitalised. The rest of the demonstrators then began burning tyres in the street and pelting security forces and the Customs Department with stones, injuring one security guard and smashing much of the office building’s glass façade.

Ny Chakrya, chief investigator for Adhoc, yesterday laid the blame for the outbreak of violence at the feet of authorities, accusing them of exacerbating the situation.

“Our staff observed and saw that the police and military police used violence against the cart workers first,” he said, adding that authorities “must accept responsibility in this case”.

http://www.phnompenhpost.com/national/probe-violence-poipet-gets-under-way