Dr. Kin Phea has expressed concern that the farm owned by Khem Veasna, President of the League for Democracy Party (LDP), in Siem Reap Province, appears to operate like a “state within a state,” where government authorities seem to have little influence over the individual who controls the farm.
Recently, a woman gave an interview to journalists, asking them to publicize the case of her brother, who had allegedly taken his 11-year-old daughter to live at the farm owned by Khem Veasna. Khem Veasna reportedly refers to himself as the “Guardian Brahma of the World,” while the location has been referred to as the “Brahma Farm.”
The woman said that she had been unable to meet her daughter inside the farm. She also reported that, despite filing a complaint with the relevant authorities, she had received no effective assistance or intervention. As a result, she decided to approach journalists in the hope that public attention would help resolve the situation.
Commenting on the matter, Dr. Kin Phea described the situation as resembling a “state within a state,” where government authorities appear to have little power or influence over the person controlling the farm.
He warned that if appropriate action is not taken now, this so-called farm state could eventually become a serious social problem, comparable to other social crises currently facing the country.
In a statement posted on Facebook, Dr. Kin Phea wrote that people in Cambodia often pay little attention to small fires until they develop into major conflagrations. Only then do people rush to find buckets and containers to extinguish the flames, but by that time, it may already be too late.
He further expressed concern about the tens of thousands of people and families reportedly living within this farm community. Some of them, he said, have sold their houses and farmland, separated from their families, and abandoned their previous lives to seek shelter under the ideology promoted by the farm's leadership. He warned that these individuals could become a significant burden on society in the coming years.
Dr. Kin Phea also revealed that he had previously sought assistance from various individuals and institutions in an attempt to intervene in the matter. However, those efforts had not produced effective results.
According to him, the father of the girl whose whereabouts have become a matter of concern was formerly an employee under his supervision. The father passed away when the girl was only four years old. Before his death, he had reportedly remained in a vegetative state for four years following a traffic accident in 2014 while traveling to another province on official duty.
The girl's mother is a widow who has struggled alone to raise her three children since her husband's death. Dr. Kin Phea described her life as one of considerable hardship and suffering, yet she has received little meaningful support.
He added that he, his family, and others who knew the woman could only sympathize with her, as they did not know how to help when even the authorities appeared unable to intervene effectively. Both the mother and daughter, he said, seemed to have no choice but to endure their circumstances, reflecting what he described as the unfortunate reality of Cambodian society.
Meanwhile, Khem Veasna, the owner of the farm who reportedly identifies himself as the “Guardian Brahma of the World,” released a video in which he allegedly used extremely offensive and insulting language against the journalists and the woman involved in the case.
This situation raises an important question: Should Cambodia allow Khem Veasna to continue operating what appears to be a “state within a state” and acting according to his own wishes, or should appropriate action finally be taken?
An appeal is therefore being made to leaders and government officials at all levels to take appropriate measures and investigate this matter.
Khem Veasna has no legal authority to detain anyone or force individuals to follow his ideology against their will.
Cambodia is a country governed by law. No individual or organization is above the law.
0 Comments