Kandal Provincial Court on October 4 placed a man identified as Thel Thilen, 32, in custody at the provincial prison on charges of “stealing someone else’s property”.

Thilen is an activist who filed a petition against the issuance of permanent residency permits to Vietnamese and the introduction of a Vietnamese-language department at a university in Cambodia.

So Sarin, director of the Kandal Provincial Court administration, said an investigating judge had issued a detention order for Thilen on October 4.

“The criminal case of Thel Thilen is case no. 1796, dated October 28, 2020. According to court procedure, the investigating judge has the right to summon him for arrest,” he added.

A member of the youth group who filed the petition against the issuance of permanent residence permit and objected to the Vietnamese-language department, On Ratana, said the arrest warrant had been in place since 2016. He claimed that the authorities had used it to arrest Thilen for unrelated matters, and that they had not done so in accordance with the law.

“I see it as related to our non-violent protest at Freedom Park and believe that this is intended to discourage young people from exercising their right to protest,” he added.

He said the authorities are putting Thilen under pressure for the protests, despite arguments that the issue is related to the land dispute.

“We organised a protest for the benefit of society and our group has already seen the results – which are to be hospitalised, imprisoned or killed,” he added.

He said the youth groups activities were not aimed against the government, but were a matter of conscience. They intended to continue their actions no matter what happened.

Am Sam Ath, deputy director for rights group Licadho, said that the case against Thilen had been going on since 2016 but the arrest warrant was issued in 2021. The process was drawn out, and no arrest had been made for a long time.

“After his arrest, we noted that he was actively involved in social work, especially the petition against the opening of a Vietnamese language department, as well as the granting of residencies to foreigners in Cambodia,” he said.

“Thus, this arrest appears to be a form of intimidation to disrupt active youths who participate in social work,” he added.

He said that if Thilen could be released on bail, the court should consider it, as it will also reduce criticism and allegations of threats towards activists.

But Sarin countered, saying: “As far as we are concerned, the judge issued an arrest warrant, brought a suspect to court and detained him for stealing property.”

It is unknown what property Thilen is alleged to have stolen and sold.

When asked why the court did not arrest Thilen in 2020, but in 2022, Sarin said that the case was under the jurisdiction of the investigating judge.

Thilen is a resident of Siem Reap. He had petitioned the Ministry of Interior to stop issuing permanent residency permits to foreigners. He also opposed the inclusion of a Vietnamese-language department at a university.

On September 30, Thilen filed a petition at Phnom Penh City Hall requesting a large-scale rally at Freedom Park on October 7 to protest the issues. His arrest came after he and other young people finished a meeting with officials at city hall.