Logo of Phnom Penh Post newspaper Phnom Penh Post - Three of the ‘Adhoc 5’ denied medical care

Three of the ‘Adhoc 5’ denied medical care

Conservationists inspect a nest with the eggs of the critically endangered Siamese crocodile near Koh Kong's Preah Angkeo village. Wildlife Conservation Society
Adhoc officials Ny Sokha (right) and Yi Soksan are taken away after they were denied bail in April at Phnom Penh’s Municipal Court. Pha Lina

Three of the ‘Adhoc 5’ denied medical care

Thirty-three civil society groups yesterday issued a joint statement criticising restrictions placed on medical care available to three of the jailed “Adhoc 5”, saying doctors from Licadho had been prevented from visiting them since April and that their illnesses had grown worse in that time.

Yesterday marked day 426 of their detention without trial, and the statement, signed by groups including Licadho, the Cambodian Center for Human Rights and Human Rights Watch, said the doctors had only in the last two weeks been given sporadic access to the workers at Prey Sar prison.

The three Adhoc staffers – Ny Sokha, Nay Vanda and Yi Soksan – are in Prey Sar’s CC1 centre. The other Adhoc staffer, Lim Mony, is in its CC2 centre. The fifth, Ny Chakrya, a former Adhoc staffer turned elections official, is in the PJ prison. Both Mony and Chakrya have received care.

The joint statement alleges that the lack of medical access to the three human rights staffers in CC1 exacerbated their existing medical conditions. Last week, it even led Ny Sokha to faint in a bathroom in the prison, he said.

“At the very least, Cambodian authorities must now take these serious health concerns into account and stop prolonging their baseless pre-trial detention through denial of bail,” the joint statement quotes Licadho Naly Pilorge, the deputy director for advocacy at Licadho, as saying.

Prisons Department spokesman Sorn Keo said there were adequate facilities in CC1 to treat the detainees.

MOST VIEWED

  • Wing Bank opens new branch in front of Orkide The Royal along Street 2004

    Wing Bank celebrates first anniversary as commercial bank with launch of brand-new branch. One year since officially launching with a commercial banking licence, Wing Bank on March 14 launched a new branch in front of Orkide The Royal along Street 2004. The launch was presided over by

  • Girl from Stung Meanchey dump now college grad living in Australia

    After finishing her foundational studies at Trinity College and earning a Bachelor’s degree from the University of Melbourne in 2022, Ron Sophy, a girl who once lived at the Stung Meanchey garbage dump and scavenged for things to sell, is now working at a private

  • Ministry orders all schools, public and private, to close for SEA Games

    From April 20 to May 18, all public and private educational institutions will be closed to maintain order and support Cambodia's hosting of the 32nd SEA Games and 12th ASEAN Para Games, said a directive from the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sport. Cambodia will host the

  • Wat Phnom hornbills attract tourists, locals

    Thanks to the arrival of a friendly flock of great hornbills, Hour Rithy, a former aviculturist – or raiser of birds – in Kratie province turned Phnom Penh tuk tuk driver, has seen a partial return to his former profession. He has become something of a guide

  • Almost 9K tourists see equinox sunrise at Angkor Wat

    Nearly 9,000 visitors – including 2,226 international tourists – gathered at Angkor Wat on March 21 to view the spring equinox sunrise, according to a senior official of the Siem Reap provinical tourism department. Ngov Seng Kak, director of the department, said a total of 8,726 people visited Angkor Wat to

  • Angkor Beer strengthens national pride with golden new look and fresher taste

    Angkor Beer – the "Gold of Angkor" – has a new look, one that is more stylish and carries a premium appeal, as well as a fresher taste and smoother flavour, making it the perfect choice for any gathering. Angkor Beer recently launched its new design, one