Page 16 - AHATA
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A6   WORLD NEWS
                      Monday 24 June 2024
            Killing of young Cambodian couple by businessman with honorary

            title revives concerns about impunity



            By SOPHENG CHEANG                                                                      tycoons  who  are  consid-   oni. At least two other Oh-
            Associated Press                                                                       ered  cronies  of  the  ruling  kna  holders  had  their  titles
            PHNOM  PENH,  Cambodia                                                                 Cambodian  People’s  Par-    revoked  earlier  this  year  in
            (AP)  —  In  a  case  that  has                                                        ty,  which  has  held  power  connection  with  alleged
            sparked widespread public                                                              for  almost  four  decades.  cases of major fraud.
            outrage, a court in Cambo-                                                             But  there  are  about  1,300  Last  week’s  shooting  was
            dia formally charged a real                                                            title holders, most of whom,  reported  to  have  sprung
            estate  entrepreneur  who                                                              like  the  suspect,  are  not  from  a  dispute  between
            held  a  royally  bestowed                                                             public figures.              the victims and one of their
            title with the premeditated                                                            Unofficially,  the  title  is  as-  neighbors, who was a ten-
            murder of a young couple                                                               sociated  with  impunity  for  ant  in  a  property  belong-
            in the capital Phnom Penh.                                                             the  rich,  serving  as  a  kind  ing to the suspect. The ten-
            Social  media  has  been                                                               of  preemptive  get-out-of-  ant,  who  is  not  charged
            awash  for  the  past  week                                                            jail-free  card  or  a  way  of  with anything, was said by
            with  comments  asserting    Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet poses for photo, in Hanoi,   short-cutting  government  police to have called Srey
            that the suspect is likely to   Vietnam on Dec.11, 2023.              Associated Press  regulations.                Sina  to  help  her  with  the
            get off because he is rich,                                                            Any cases involving blatant  dispute,  which  police  said
            a common view about the  Municipal  Court,  accord-       could not be reached Sun-    criminality — such as physi-  involved  matters  including
            Southeast  Asian  country’s  ing  to  a  statement  issued  day to learn if he has a law-  cal attacks or drug traffick-  a clothesline, a mango tree
            justice  system.  The  court  Sunday by the Justice Min-  yer.                         ing,  for  example  —  that  and a parking space.
            ruled Saturday.              istry. It said the charges will  The case attracted massive  attract  public  interest  risk  A  security  camera  video
            The  suspect,  50-year-old  be prosecuted in two sep-     attention not only because  blowback  for  the  govern-   leaked  to  social  media
            Srey Sina, allegedly shot to  arate  proceedings,  each  of  the  seemingly  unpro-    ment,  opening  it  up  to  at-  over the weekend showed
            death 27-year-old Long Ly-   allowing  a  maximum  sen-   voked  killing  of  a  young,  tacks from its opponents.  the suspect gesture to Long
            song and his 25-year-old fi-  tence of 15 years imprison-  soon-to-be  married  cou-   In recognition of the politi-  Lysong to come over to him
            ancée Khim Kanhchana on  ment. Cambodia does not  ple  and  the  petty  dispute  cal sensitivity, Prime Minister  to a spot just out of camera
            June 17 while intervening in  have  the  death  penalty.  that  sparked  it,  but  also  Hun  Manet  and  members  range,  where  he  evidently
            a  dispute  between  neigh-  Prosecutors said additional  because  the  suspect  held  of  his  government  were  shoots him point blank. He
            bors.  Two  other  victims  in  charges  could  be  lodged  the title of Oknha, an hon-  quick to issue condolences  then moves back into view
            their early 20s sustained mi-  after further investigation.  orific bestowed on business  for the deaths and give as-  with his pistol, as the other
            nor injuries.                The  court  ordered  the  sus-  people  who  donate  large  surances that justice would  victims  scramble  to  hide
            Srey Sina was also charged  pect  detained  at  Prey  Sar  sums of money to the gov-   be vigorously pursued.       underneath and behind ta-
            with  attempted  murder  prison.  He  has  not  been  ernment.                         After  his  arrest,  Srey  Sina  bles,  but  are  pursued  and
            and  illegal  possession  of  a  made  available  for  com-  The Oknha title is generally  had his Oknha title revoked  shot.q
            firearm by the Phnom Penh  ment  and  court  officials  associated  with  influential  by  King  Norodom  Siham-



            Ivory Coast sets up mobile enrollment for a health coverage program

            criticized over glitches


            by HILAIRE ZON               that  are  supposed  to  pro-                                                          pharmacy  and  I  present-
            Associated Press             vide  them  with  medicine                                                             ed  the  voucher,  the  phar-
            ABIDJAN,  Ivory  Coast  (AP)  are  later  not  accepted                                                             macy  said  that  no,  this  is
            — Health authorities in Ivo-  at  pharmacies  —  requir-                                                            only for civil servants, that it
            ry  Coast  launched  mobile  ing  patients  to  pay  out  of                                                        won’t  work  for  us  individu-
            enrollment  centers  for  the  pocket.                                                                              als,” Agnissan said. “I went
            country’s  universal  health  The   mobile   enrollment                                                             to all the pharmacies, and
            coverage  program,  which  centers being rolled out at                                                              it didn’t work.”
            has been criticized since its  markets and remote neigh-                                                            Ultimately,  he  had  to  pay
            2019 inception over difficul-  borhoods are meant to al-                                                            for the medicine out of his
            ties accessing benefits.     low  Ivorians  to  sign  up  for                                                       own pocket, he said.
            Ivory  Coast  is  one  of  a  the  program  and  provide                                                            Samuel Touffet, another lo-
            handful  countries  in  West  them with cards on site so                                                            cal  resident  who  came  to
            Africa  that  offers  a  univer-  they can immediately start   Residents line up in front of a mobile enrolment center from the   the  mobile  center  to  get
            sal  health  program.  But,  receiving care at hospitals,   Ivory Coast health authorities in Abidjan Monday, June 10, 2024.   updated on coverage un-
            five  years  in,  less  than  half  clinics,  and  pharmacies                                                       der  the  program,  echoed
            its  citizens  have  enrolled.  around the country.                                                Associated Press  Agnissan’s concerns.
            Known locally by its French  From  2019  until  this  year,                                                         “There  are  so  many  phar-
            acronym  CMU,  the  pro-     only  13  million  people,  or  which  worked  well  when  in  search  of  information  macies  where  if  we  go
            gram  is  meant  to  cover  40%  of  the  population,  we did the COVID-19 vac-        about  how  to  successfully  with  the  card,  it  doesn’t
            70% of citizens’ health care  were able to enroll.        cination,  which  was  to  go  use it.                    work. So we want to know,
            costs for a monthly charge  The country’s Health Minis-   to these people in the mar-  He  said  that  while  his  son  where are the pharmacies
            of  1,000  West  African  CFA  ter,  Pierre  Dimba,  said  the  kets,  in  remote  neighbor-  was being treated for ma-  where we can go and use
            francs, or about $1.65.      mobile  centers  are  aimed  hoods, to get them signed  laria at a hospital, the facil-  the  card?”  he  said.  “Also,
            However,  many  partici-     at  reaching  people  who  up,” he said.                  ity ran out of medicine. He  when  we  go  to  the  hospi-
            pants who have managed  have  been  unable  to  sign  Resident  Bruno  Agnissan  was  given  a  voucher  and  tal with the card, they say it
            to  enroll  have  reported  up  for  reasons  including  already  has  a  CMU  card,  told find the medicine at a  doesn’t work. So we don’t
            glitches,   including   that  that they work long hours.  but he came to an Abidjan  local pharmacy.                know what this card is even
            vouchers given at hospitals  “We  used  the  method  mobile  enrollment  center  “When  we  went  to  the  worth.”q
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