Hok Lundy Explained

Honorific-Prefix:General
Hok Lundy
Native Name:ហុក ឡុនឌី
Office:Commissioner-General of the Cambodian National Police
Primeminister:Norodom Ranariddh
Ung Huot
Hun Sen
Term Start:September 1994
Term End:9 November 2008
Term Start1:1990
Term End1:1992
Predecessor1:Thong Khon
Successor1:Sim Ka
Term Start2:January 1994
Term End2:September 1994
Birth Date:3 February 1950
Birth Place:Bavet, Svay Rieng, Cambodia, French Indochina
Party:Cambodian People's Party
Occupation:Politician, policeman
Spouse:Men Pheakdey
Children:5
Allegiance: Cambodia
Branch:Royal Cambodian Army
Cambodian Police Force
Serviceyears:1979 - 2008

Hok Lundy (Central Khmer: ហុក ឡុនឌី) (February 3, 1950  - November 9, 2008), also transliterated as Hok Lundi and Hoc Lundy, was the National Police Commissioner of Cambodia from 1994 to 2008; he had previously been the governor of Svay Rieng Province. He was linked to Hun Sen, the current Prime Minister, whom he met in Vietnam in 1979: during the 1997 military coup, he commanded troops loyal to Hun Sen; as well, his daughter, Hok Chindavy, is married to one of Hun Sen’s sons, Hun Manit.

Biography

Hok Lundy was born in Ta Pov village, Bavet commune, Chanthrea District, Svay Rieng Province to a family of Chinese-Vietnamese origin.[1] Hok Lundy's Vietnamese ancestry was often extensively discussed in public circles, and at least one close aide of Hok Lundy, Cheam Yeap confirmed that he had some Vietnamese ancestry and fluent in the Vietnamese language as well.[2]

He spent his early days in his hometown until 1977 when he fled to Vietnam to become a spy for the Kampuchean United Front for National Salvation. Hok Lundy returned to Cambodia following the fall of the Khmer Rouge, and served in various executive ranks under the People's Republic of Kampuchea in his home province. In 1990, Hok Lundy became the president of the People’s Committee for Phnom Penh. He served as the governor of Svay Rieng Province for 9 months between January and September 1994, before was appointed as the National Police Commissioner.[2]

In the aftermath of the 1997 coup, Funcinpec officials accused Hok Lundy of ordering the attempted murder of Prime Minister Norodom Ranariddh; that same day, Hok Lundy accused Funcinpec of plotting the assassination of Hun Sen, vice-Prime Minister Sar Kheng, and himself.[3]

In February 2006, Hok Lundy was denied a visa to visit the United States due to suspicion of involvement in drug trafficking and human trafficking.[4] In March 2006, he was awarded a medal by the FBI for his efforts in fighting terrorism, and in 2007, he was granted a visa so that he could attend counterterrorism talks.[5]

Heng Pov, a former police chief in Phnom Penh, accused Hok Lundy of involvement in over 70 deaths, including those of several high-profile Cambodian figures[6] such as Pisith Pilika; in return, Hok Lundy accused Heng Pov of involvement in several other murders, including that of a judge.

Human Rights Watch described Hok Lundy as "represent(ing) the absolute worst that Cambodia has to offer", and said that "aside from his boss, Prime Minister Hun Sen, there is hardly anyone in Cambodia who has shown more contempt for the rule of law than Hok Lundy"[7]

Hok Lundy was killed on November 9, 2008, in a helicopter crash in heavy rain, along with General Sok Sa Em, the pilot, and the co-pilot.[8] The official cause of the crash was cited as bad weather and possibly a lightning strike. The helicopter may have also hit something on the way down.[9] Later independent investigations, possibly aligned with opposition political parties, have suggested that the crash may have been caused by sabotage or a missile fired from the ground.[10]

Personal life

Lundy was married to Men Pheakdey and had several children, including Dy Vichea, and Hok Chendavy. Lundy was related to Hun Sen by marriage; Vichea is married to Sen's daughter Hun Mana, while Chendavy is married to Hun Sen's son Hun Manith.[11]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Françoise Mengin . La présence chinoise au Cambodge Contribution à une économie politique violente, rentière et inégalitaire . https://web.archive.org/web/20180427014648/https://www.sciencespo.fr/ceri/sites/sciencespo.fr.ceri/files/etude133.pdf . 27 April 2018 . French . 30 . February 2007 . 1 February 2015 . Les Études du CERI . dead .
  2. Web site: Chea Makara. ជីវប្រវត្តិសង្ខេបរបស់ឧត្ដមសេនីយ៍ ហុក ឡងឌី (ភាគ១) (A brief biography of Hok Lundy - part one). Khmer. 17 November 2008. 1 February 2014. Radio Free Asia Cambodia.
  3. Web site: http://www.indianexpress.com/res/web/pIe/ie/daily/19970619/17050523.html. indianexpress.com. 2016-08-18.
  4. News: Controversial Cambodian to Visit U.S.. Smith. R. Jeffrey. 2007-04-18. The Washington Post. en-US. 0190-8286. 2016-08-18.
  5. https://2001-2009.state.gov/r/pa/prs/dpb/2007/apr/83142.htm state.gov
  6. Web site: CAMBODIA: Revelations of former police chief must be followed with investigations and suspensions — Asian Human Rights Commission . Asian Human Rights Commission . 2016-08-18 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20110303030626/http://www.ahrchk.net/statements/mainfile.php/2006statements/713/ . 2011-03-03 .
  7. Web site: US: Notorious Cambodian Police Chief in US for Counter-Terror Talks at FBI (Human Rights Watch, 16-4-2007). hrw.org. 2016-08-18. 2008-10-10. https://web.archive.org/web/20081010132115/http://hrw.org/english/docs/2007/04/16/usint15717_txt.htm. dead.
  8. http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/story/0,21985,24627517-5012747,00.html Police chief dies in chopper crash
  9. http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5gTITC1cI2nF4cA7KBsaoy4t1tY1w Cambodia probes chopper crash that killed police chief
  10. Web site: KI Media: Hok Lundy's chopper hit by lightning: Hun Sen's favorite curse bounced back on his close henchman?. Socheata. 2008-11-10. KI Media. 2016-08-18.
  11. News: Turton . Shaun . Phak . Seangly . 2016-07-06 . Inside the Hun family's business empire . en . Bangkok Post . 2023-03-09.