National Police Chief Hok Lundy defended to the last minute his trip to the US, to meet with FBI and other security agencies in Washington in coming days despite an outcry from rights groups.
Moments before boarding his plane, the police chief told VOA Khmer that the allegations leveled against him this week by Human Rights Watch—that he orchestrated the 1997 grenade attack on opposition demonstrators, ordered extrajudicial killings and runs human and drug trafficking networks—were unfounded and without proof.
"I think this is a success for Cambodia. This visit is a [moment of] pride for us because a superpower wants the Kingdom of Cambodia to go to the meeting on experiences of the US on national securities," Hok Lundy said. "
The Justice Department and the FBI want to meet me about stopping terrorism," he said. "The DEA wants to have a meeting on drug trafficking. Most important of all is that the National Security and the Justice Department want to discuss visas and Cambodians repatriation. The State Department wants to talk about women and children trafficking."