Supreme Court hears appeal of physician for transmitting HIV
Kim Sarom | Publication date 22 September 2019 | 23:23 ICT

The Supreme Court on September 20 heard the appeal of a physician convicted of transmitting HIV to 200 Roka villagers in Roka commune in Sangke district, in Battambang province in 2014.

Yem Chren, who has been sentenced to 25 years in jail by the Battambang provincial court told the Supreme Court: “I had no intention to do it, so please lower my sentence.”

Defence lawyer Sam Chamroeun said the Appeal court had assumed that his client’s mistake had caused some Roka villagers to die of HIV, but the mistake was unintentional [and not premeditated].

He claimed that the Health Department had failed to conduct a thorough investigation which caused his client to receive a heavy sentence.

“The court should lower the sentence since the HIV transmission was caused by a technical error. This problem might not have had occurred if technical officials conducted thorough and regular inspections at each hospital.

“My client would not have been sentenced for years if such inspection had been carried out to prevent this kind of problem from happening,” Chamroeun said.

Chren was charged by the Battambang provincial court on three counts under Article 18 and 50 of the Law on the Prevention and Control of HIV/AIDS which includes the intentional spreading of HIV to others, committing murder through cruel actions under Article 205 of the Criminal Code, and opening a clinic without legal permission from the Ministry of Health.
https://www.phnompenhpost.com/national/ ... itting-hiv

Cambodia's top court upholds 25-year prison term for doctor who infected people with HIV
Source: Xinhua| 2019-10-05

PHNOM PENH, Oct. 5 (Xinhua) -- Cambodia's Supreme Court has upheld the decision of a lower court to sentence an unlicensed medical practitioner to 25 years in prison for infecting over 200 villagers with HIV via the reuse of unclean needles.

Yem Chrin, 60, was arrested in 2014 in northwestern Battambang province after most of his patients had their blood tested positive for HIV and accused him of transmitting the virus via the reuse of unsterilized needles.

HIV is the virus that causes AIDS.

In December 2015, the Battambang Provincial Court found him guilty of committing "cruel torture" and decided to sentence him to 25 years in prison. The court also ordered him to pay between 500 U.S. dollars and 3,000 U.S. dollars in compensation to each of more than 100 victims, who filed the complaints.

In September 2017, the Appeal Court decided to uphold the Battambang Provincial Court's ruling against Chrin.

"The Supreme Court sees that the Appeal Court's decision against Yem Chrin is correct, so the court decides to uphold the decision," Supreme Court Judge Nil Non said as he pronounced the verdict on Friday.
http://www.xinhuanet.com/english/2019-1 ... 449733.htm

Bump - Recent expats to Cambodia may not have heard of this case, where a self-proclaimed village medical practioner infected hundreds of people with HIV by reusing infected syringes on his patients. He was sentenced to 25 years in prison.
A reminder to you that health care outside of the larger cities is at best patchy, and at worst, can be lethal.

Battambang provincial governor brings aid to Roka HIV victims
Post Staff | Publication date 24 December 2022 | 14:57 ICT
Battambang provincial governor Sok Lou brought humanitarian aid packages to some 100 households living with HIV in the northeastern commune of Roka on December 23.

In 2014, an outbreak of HIV – the immunodeficiency virus that can lead to AIDS – in Sangke district’s Roka commune was caused by unlicensed medic Yem Chrin, who admitted to reusing unsterilised needles after treating an HIV-positive patient. As a result, more than 300 people were confirmed to be infected.

The relief packages were brought to the victims, in part as a belated commemoration of World AIDS Day on December 1, which was held this year under the theme: “Equalise”.
https://www.phnompenhpost.com/national/ ... iv-victims