Rumours attribute tank movements to "coup" video and Ley funeral procession.

[CEOCambodiaNews]

Amid rumours on the reasons for the movement of a number of tanks today, what seems to be verifiable according to this piece from today's Cambodia Daily, is that :
1/ a man has called for a coup on Facebook 2/Tanks ARE being moved from Preah Vihear toward Kompong Speu, but the reasons are unclear 3/The authorities are expecting a big turnout for Kem Ley's funeral procession.

Beyond that is only speculation for the moment; but it seems possible that the tanks are being moved closer to Phnom Penh as an eventual security measure, and it is easier to move them now while things are calm. The authorities say the tanks are being moved for maintenance procedures.

General Sucheat said the military had started investigating a video uploaded to YouTube and posted to Facebook on Sunday that shows a man who identifies himself as “Siem Reap Angkor” and calls on the military to prepare for a coup d’etat.

Around the same time, videos started spreading on Facebook showing numerous tanks being moved from a military base near Preah Vihear temple on the Thai border on the highway to Phnom Penh on Monday.

[Mr. Kimhorn, a military expert from Pannasastra University] added that the transport of the tanks could be related to either the apparent coup threat or Sunday’s planned funeral procession for the popular analyst Kem Ley, which is is expected to draw tens of thousands of his grieving supporters to Phnom Penh.
“To be frank, in the current situation, everything is possible right now,” he said. “If I put myself in the government’s shoes, for security matters, anything could happen, and they might be trying to move in advance.”

https://www.cambodiadaily.com/news/mili ... ks-115651/

[CEOCambodiaNews]

Hunt is on for Coup Plotter

A Defense Ministry spokesman said police have identified a man who announced a plot to overthrow the government on YouTube and are searching for him.

On Sunday, a four-minute video clip, posted to YouTube and Facebook under the account name “Siem Reap Angkor,” showed a man who called himself “VP9” reading a statement announcing his plan for a coup d’etat against Prime Minister HE and his government.

The man said he wanted to “liberate” the country from the “dictatorial” regime of Mr. HE and called on the military and public institutions to join him in his plot.

The man cited a number of human rights violations allegedly committed by the premier’s government during his more than 30 years in power as reasons why the coup was needed.

“We, representing the Southwestern unit, would like to announce to every organization and ministry in the country to know that in the very near future, all forces should be ready to overthrow the authoritarian system led by the head of the CPP [Cambodian People’s Party] Mr. HE and the Vietnamese communists. This unit does not recognize the current government,” the man in the video said.

The video was initially shared by local media outlet Fresh News and exploded on Facebook, with a number of people also sharing videos of tanks being moved from Preah Vihear province to Phnom Penh. The Defense Ministry and General Commissariat of National Police announced they were searching for the suspect and any accomplices on Tuesday...
http://www.khmertimeskh.com/news/27489/ ... p-plotter/

[Anchor Moy]

What a plonker. How irresponsible to sit in Canada posting calls for Cambodian civilians to rise up and support a false coup. As if the situation is not tense enough.He seems to have the intelligence of a hedgehog. It is at least a useful reminder that while tensions are running high, a spark could be set off by social media and street rumour at any time.
This is what he said on his video, where he is clearly pretending to be part of the armed forces:

“The unit of the southwest region informs every unit and ministry around the country to please shortly be prepared to oppose the dictatorial regime led by the CPP’s HE and the communist Yuon,” the man says, using a pejorative term for Vietnamese.
“Our unit does not recognize the current government led by HE, the president of the CPP.”

https://www.cambodiadaily.com/news/mili ... ks-115651/

And now he says he only wished to "encourage people to rise up ..." ( and then what? go out and get shot while he cheers them on from Canada ?)

The man the military is investigating for announcing an impending coup d’etat against Prime Minister HE said from Canada on Thursday that he had no plans for an armed movement and only wished to encourage people “to rise up against the dictatorial regime.”

In a video on Sunday, Som Sovannara, a member of the Khmer National Liberation Front, a group described by Mr. HE as a terrorist organization, said he was part of a unit in Cambodia’s “southwest” and asked others to be prepared for the coming coup.
Speaking by telephone on Thursday, he said his warning to other units and government ministries to stand ready “to liberate the nation from HE’s dictatorial regime” was not a call to arms and was only intended to stoke resistance to the government.

“I don’t have any intention to carry out a coup d’etat against the government, and the meaning of what I said was just to remind all Cambodian children to rise up against the dictatorial regime,” Mr. Sovannara said.

“I did this by myself as a student and a Cambodian child who loves the country and who loves democracy, because I do not want Cambodia to become a country under the control of a communist country.”

https://www.cambodiadaily.com/news/coup ... me-115748/
This is so not helpful.

[frank lee bent]

the opposition here is devoid of merit.
the khmers i know hold this opinion.
they are all poor working people

[table42]

Frank, I'm not sure the whole party is devoid of credibility. Rainsy certainly has none, but Mu Sochua in general enjoys the respect of the populace.