Mom Kunthear and Irwin Loy
Phnom Penh Post
THE victim of an acid attack at the hands of a high-ranking military police official plans to seek asylum in Malaysia, but whether or not she fits within the legal definition of a refugee remains unclear, a legal expert has said.
Ya Soknim and 18 relatives plan to apply for refugee status through the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in Malaysia.
Ya Soknim’s husband, Oung Vibol, said family members fear for their lives because the six people convicted in the May 2008 attack – including former Military Police Brigadier General Chea Ratha – remain free.
“We live in fear and are careful about our security every minute because we don’t know what will happen to us,” Oung Vibol said.
Family members say they have received death threats from people associated with Chea Ratha, who remains on Interpol’s wanted list.
Chea Ratha and five accomplices were convicted in absentia in November for the acid attack, which left Ya Soknim with severe scarring on her face and torso. Prosecutors accused Chea Ratha of ordering the attack after Ya Soknim’s niece, beauty queen In Soklyda, broke off a sexual relationship.
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We are sad to hear that Ya Soknim has had to take drastic measures in light of the fact of staying in Cambodia may endanger her further. If governments cannot take a tough stand to protect victims and not perpetrators then this blatant iniquity represents a bleak future
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