Cambodia's chief of police, Hok Lundy, dies in a helicopter crash.
Mr Hok Lundy, head of the country's police for over a decade, had been routinely criticised by international organisations for alleged human rights abuses and corruption within his force. -- PHOTO: AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE
PHNOM PENH (Cambodia) - CAMBODIA'S government began preparations on Monday for the funeral of the country's controversial national police chief, a close ally of Prime Minister Hun Sen who was killed in a helicopter crash.
Police Commissioner-General Hok Lundy, 51, died on Sunday night when the helicopter he was traveling in crashed in Svay Rieng province in southeastern Cambodia, apparently because of bad weather.
Commissioner-Gen Hok Lundy had a reputation for ruthlessness as well as loyalty to Mr Hun Sen, whose son, Mr Hun Manit, is married to the late police chief's daughter, Ms Hok Chendavy.
'His death was a great national loss and a profound sorrow for the police force,' said police Lt Gen Khieu Sopheak, spokesman for the Interior Ministry, which oversees the police force.
The pilot, co-pilot and a deputy commander of the Cambodian army were also killed in the crash, Lt Gen Khieu Sopheak said.
Last year, the New York-based group Human Rights Watch urged the US government to cancel a visa issued to Commissioner-Gen Hok Lundy to attend an FBI-sponsored conference on human trafficking, accusing him of having ordered an extrajudicial killing and involvement in drug smuggling and human trafficking.
He attended the conference and was urged by State Department officials to make greater efforts to punish public officials, including police, involved in trafficking.
The US had denied Commisioner-Gen Hok Lundy a visa in early 2006 for reasons never made public.
Cambodian government officials dismissed the Human Rights Watch allegations as nonsense.
Lt Gen Khieu Sopheak said the Interior Ministry has set up a committee to organise a traditional Buddhist funeral for Commissioner-Gen Hok Lundy.
Police Lt Gen Neth Savoeun - who is married to a niece of Mr Hun Sen - will serve as acting commissioner-general of police, he said.
Commissioner-Gen Hok Lundy's helicopter took off from the capital, Phnom Penh, at 7.20 pm on Sunday and lost contact with air controllers about 15 minutes later, Lt Gen Khieu Sopheak said.
He said there was a '99 per cent' chance that bad weather was responsible for the crash since it was raining at the time.
Mr Mao Havannal, head of the Secretariat for Civil Aviation, said he sent investigators to the crash site but the cause had not yet been determined. -- AP
