A screenshot from the video, which was widely circulated in the past few days and purports to show inmates at the capital’s notorious Prey Sar prison drinking and dancing. supplied
The General Department of Prisons (GDP) has concluded its initial investigation into the origin of a video showing Chinese and Cambodian nationals drinking and dancing at Correctional Centre 1, often known as Prey Sar.
The results revealed that the video – which was recently widely circulated – is from 2023. A team from the Ministry of Interior is continuing to investigate the matter further.
The GDP began their examination of the footage on October 13, and were able to determine that the footage was captured in 2023, explained GDP spokesperson Nuth Savna.
"That video is from 2023. It’s an old video, and we can confirm this because one of the individuals in the video was released in May of this year. This means the incident occurred before then. It didn’t happen in September or any recent time. We discreetly questioned the officials and prisoners involved, and they confirmed that the video was filmed at that time," Savna told The Post on Wednesday.
He added that despite the conclusive findings, the interior ministry’s General Department of Inspection task force is pursuing its own enquiries. He emphasised that the multi-agency investigation aims to ensure thoroughness, transparency, effectiveness and independence in the inquiry.
Touch Sokhak, ministry spokesperson, acknowledged that one of the individuals in the video has already been released, after serving a two-year sentence. However, the ministry's experts are still gathering other related videos and documents.
"Recently, the ministry has been focussed on eliminating irregularities in some prisons, with the heavy involvement of the GDP. Some of these videos may be old or linked to those cleanup efforts, but we will continue to investigate and clarify things further," he said.
He explained that on October 15, Deputy Prime Minister Sar Sokha, Minister of Interior, held a special meeting with senior GDP officials. During the meeting, the minister instructed the officials to conduct an audit and uncover the truth behind the footage.
“If it is found that officials were involved or allowed such behaviour to take place, and if this video is indeed recent, the responsible officials will be dealt with accordingly,” Sokha told the officials.
Furthermore, he ordered an investigation into whether rooms with luxury equipment, televisions, or areas for singing and dancing, which are not in line with prison standards, actually exist. If such facilities are found, they must be removed.
In the case of notorious criminals or those who are considered dangerous, he emphasised that they must be separated and should not be permitted to stay together in the same prison or detention centre. He ordered their transfer to various provincial prisons, noting that this should be done periodically.
Prime Minister Hun Manet also raised the issue on Tuesday, assigning the interior minister to examine the case.
“Look into this case and investigate it thoroughly. It seems that Facebook might not have an accurate timeline. Sometimes, even videos from 10 years ago resurface,” he said.
“Regardless, we must continue reforming and strengthening our prison system nationwide. Yesterday, Sokha reported to me, and I approved his plans. First, he will strengthen Correctional Centre 1 by changing its leadership to enhance the institution,” he added.
Savna explained that Yin Kun retired as the head of the facility on September 9 this year, with Mong Meng An appointed as acting head on the following day.
He noted that the centre currently holds nearly 8,000 inmates.
