Operational Health District of Preah Sdach in Prey Veng province’s Preah Sdech district. Photo supplied
Around 200 people, including medical staff, officials and locals from Prey Veng province’s Preah Sdech district, have submitted their petition to Minister of Interior Sar Kheng requesting legal action against Operational Health District of Preah Sdach director You Sy Le for allegedly embezzling National Social Security Fund (NSSF) and grabbing state land for private ownership.
The petition dated December 15 alleged that Sy Le had conspired with his partisans to encroach on the land and canal of the Angkor Reach Health Centre for private ownership.
The area, measuring 31m by 93m, is located in Krasaing Torng village in Preah Sdach district’s Angkor Reach commune.
Sy Le allegedly built a house of seven rooms on the health centre land for leasing and also built a fence surrounding it.
“Please help resolve [the issue] and take legal action against You Sy Le and reclaim the land and canal as state property. We would like to request interior minister Samdech Krala Hom Sar Kheng to help inspect this official,” the petition said.
The letter also claimed Sy Le and his accomplices systematically formed partisans in the Preah Sdach District Referral Hospital and conspired to commit corruption.
However, in a letter dated November 26, Sy Le rebutted the petitioners’ claims of state land grabbing. He said he had been living on the land for 13 years, explaining that the authority had given him the land because he did not have a place to stay.
“All this is not true, because the land is [under] my ownership. It is neither state land nor has [any] relation to Prey Veng provincial health department,” he said.
Ty Haratheay, a medical staffer who also thumbprinted the petition, alleged that Sy Le and his partisans conspired to take the NSSF fund as their own.
The money is allocated for paying the medical treatment of civil servants, workers, and members of the Armed Forces who are NSSF members.
“For instance, midwives would receive only 16,000 of the 40,000 riel that Samdech Kittipritbandit Bun Rany Hun Sen donated for a delivery,” he said, referring to Prime Minister Hun Sen’s wife.
“[From] the revenue gained through inpatient consultation [financing], one per cent [of it] is paid to the government, 39 per cent used for purchasing hospital supplies and 60 per cent is to be distributed among hospital workers. But Sy Le and his partisans did not [channel the full] 60 per cent to health workers,” he said.
When contacted, provincial health department director Seng Panharith said he could not hear well through the phone and did not answer further.
Interior ministry spokesman Khieu Sopheak confirmed to The Post on December 23 that Sar Kheng had received the complaint and assigned provincial authorities to investigate.
“Samdech Krala Hom [Sar Kheng] has assigned the provincial governor to investigate and report the results to him.
Provincial coordinator for right group Adhoc Eang Kimly told The Post on December 23 that his organisation will continue to monitor this case. He called on the authorities to conduct a thorough investigation.
“If the people are not happy about this and [further] actions are not taken, it will make them lose confidence in the government. I also hope that this action is fair and justice for all people,” she said.
