National

2
THE PHNOM PENH POST OCTOBER 2, 2014
Hacktivists
to undergo
loyalty test
Chhay Channyda
A SENIOR police official yester-
day said the Interior Ministry
would ensure that two recently
freed Anonymous Cambodia
hackers were loyal to the state
before allowing them to join
the police to help combat
cybercrime.
The local arm of the global
hacktivist group waged a self-
declared cyberwar on the gov-
ernment in the aftermath of
last Julys national election but
have gone quiet since five
alleged members were arrested
between April and June.
Bun King Mongkolpanha, 21,
and Chou Songheng, 20, were
arrested in April and handed
two-year jail sentences on
Tuesday that were reduced to
time already served.
In return, the pair has agreed
to join the MOIs internal secu-
rity department, which busted
them in April after a lengthy
investigation with the FBI.
On Tuesday, Chhay Sinarith,
National Police deputy commis-
sioner in charge of internal secu-
rity, said the police were really
proud of the duos skills, but
admitted yesterday that he was
actually not sure how much
they could contribute to help
our police in the IT sector.
We have put them under
probation, both in terms of
their ability and mindset, to see
whether they show that they
are honest now and will really
use their abilities to serve the
police. If so, its good and they
can serve society, he said, add-
ing that he was unaware when
they would start work.
Neither of the two could be
reached for comment yester-
day. Their lawyer said he could
not release contact details due
to a family request.
The last post on Anonymous
Cambodias Facebook page, on
May 28, says down everyday
next to the web address of the
National Police. ADDITIONAL
REPORTING BY KEVIN PONNIAH
Nauru staffer condemns Aus
Daniel Pye

A
FORMER mental
health worker at
Australias deten-
tion centre on the
island nation of Nauru has
condemned Canberras poli-
cies towards asylum seekers
following allegations of sexual
abuse and an outbreak of self-
harm and attempted suicide
at the facility since inmates
there were told they would be
resettled in Cambodia.
There are lots of people who
work in Nauru for the money,
working with children, and
[background] checks arent
done, the aid worker, who re-
quested anonymity, said. Its
terrible. It changes your life,
[being] over there.
The bullying is shocking
by the security staff . . . The
conditions of the camp are
unbelievable, she said, go-
ing on to describe numerous
instances of asylum seekers
being deliberately denied
medical care by Australias
immigration department.
There was a man own to
Darwin for treatment who was
own back [to Nauru] against
medical advice. He was found
in his tent covered in blood
and excrement . . . at the end
of the day, its all because of
immigration, she said.
The comments follow a rash
of attempted suicides and self-
harm in the facility. This week
Fairfax Media reported allega-
tions of sexual abuse of women
and children on Nauru, includ-
ing a threat of rape and chil-
dren being forced to perform
sex acts in front of a guard.
An adult Iranian couple on
Tuesday evening swallowed
washing powder and pesti-
cides, bringing the number of
attempted suicides since Fri-
day to at least four, while there
have been at least 12 cases of
self-harm. The two Iranians
have not been heard from
since being transferred to the
medical centre.
According to a refugee on
the island, the couples 4-year-
old daughter is in a clinic and
believed to be in a serious
condition, with no appropri-
ate medical treatment avail-
able on the island.
This is all about pushing
them to the brink, pushing
them to the absolute edge. The
arrogant Australian govern-
ment wants them to go back
[to their home countries]. I
dont get it; [the government]
must be psychopaths, the aid
worker said.
The immigration policy is
that refugees and asylum seek-
ers on Nauru are not entitled
to any medical care above and
beyond what locals on Nauru
are allowed. But they send
very, very sick people there.
A female Iranian refugee liv-
ing outside the detention cen-
tre one of 250 people granted
temporary residency on the
island in recent weeks yes-
terday said that it was com-
mon for security guards em-
ployed by Australian private
security rm Wilson Security
to commit sexual assault and
threaten protesters.
When I was in there, they
just irted, but now [it has
gotten worse], she said. The
security used bad behaviour I
will never forget.
The asylum seekers had a
peaceful protest . . . But [Wil-
son Security] were trying to
start a ght . . . the Nauruan
[security guards] were coming
to them with something sharp
while women and children
were at the front, she said.
A worker at the Nauru deten-
tion centre told Fairfax on Tues-
day that she often saw children
sitting on guards laps.
I was told by an Australian
guard who was friends with
the locals that there was an
imminent danger when the
asylum seekers were released
in regards to violence and sex-
ual abuse, she said.
GT Media, a PR rm con-
tracted by Wilson Security,
yesterday referred questions
to Transeld Services, a huge
Australian company with close
ties to the government and
which holds a number of mili-
tary procurement contracts.
A spokesman for Transeld
referred questions to the of-
ce of Australian Immigra-
tion and Border Protection
Minister Scott Morrison, who
signed the agreement to send
the refugees to Cambodia over
utes of champagne on Friday
in Phnom Penh.
A spokesman for Morrison
did not respond to repeated re-
quests for comment. However,
Morrison yesterday told Fair-
fax that there was little or no
substantiation to the allega-
tions, adding that his depart-
ment would conduct an inves-
tigation and that he would be
pretty damn cross if evidence
of abuse was uncovered.
In submissions to the ongo-
ing Australian Human Rights
Commission inquiry into off-
shore detention, children in
the camps also accuse staff
hired by charitable organisa-
tions, such as Save the Chil-
dren, of abuses.
A child protection worker
writes in one submission:
Save the Children hires local
Nauruan people who have very
close contact with children . . .
Children have been sexually
assaulted and threatened with
sexual assault, and they are
not allowed to leave the camp,
even with family members able
to care for them here.
The former aid worker cor-
roborated several of the alle-
gations of abuse.
Sarah Hanson-Young, immi-
gration spokeswoman for the
Australian Greens, yesterday
called for the Nauru detention
centre to be closed after a mo-
tion passed in the Senate call-
ing for the release of les relat-
ed to abuses on the island.
The Australian government
is actively and intentionally de-
stroying women and children
on Nauru, she said. Despite
the ministers claims when it
comes to sending people to
Cambodia, its clear these peo-
ple have no real option.
The Abbott government
has them over a barrel, and the
choice between one hell or an-
other is clearly no choice at all.
According to Australian
media, Naurus minister for
nance, David Adeang, told
the New South Wales Supreme
Court in Sydney that the coun-
try would be unable to operate
by the end of the week as the
politically connected Austra-
lian bank Westpac had frozen
the governments accounts.
New Zealands Foreign Minis-
try conrmed to a radio station
there yesterday that it had fro-
zen aid to Nauru, which owes
more than $26 million to the
US-based Firebird Global Mas-
ter Fund, which has bought the
countrys debt from Japan.
In the middle off this po-
litical wrangling, the refugees
have simple requests.
A Syrian child in Nauru,
speaking through a transla-
tor, said that he would like to
go back to school. I left my
country because it has wars
and is bad now. I want to go
to school and be a doctor, but
here there is no [good] school
and I blame Australia.
Refugees hold signs during a protest against indenite detention on Monday in front of the Australian High
Commission on Nauru. PHOTO SUPPLIED