General Hok Lundy​ (1957 – November 9, 2008), also transliterated as Hok Lundi and Hoc Lundy, was the National Police Commissioner of Cambodia

Cambodia

Cambodia , officially known as the Kingdom of Cambodia, is a country located in the southern portion of the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia...

 from 1994 to 2008; he had previously been the governor of Svay Rieng Province. He was linked to Hun Sen

Hun Sen

Hun Sen is the current Prime Minister of Cambodia.He has been the sole leader of the Cambodian People's Party , which has governed Cambodia since the Vietnamese-backed overthrow of the Khmer Rouge in 1979...

, the current Prime Minister, whom he met in Vietnam in 1979: during the 1997 military coup

1997 clashes in Cambodia

The 1997 clashes in Cambodia, also referred to as 1997 coup in Cambodia , took place in Cambodia in July and August, 1997. As a result, co-premier Hun Sen ousted the other co-premier Norodom Ranariddh...

, 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

In the aftermath of the 1997 coup, Funcinpec

Funcinpec

FUNCINPEC is a royalist political party in Cambodia. Before the 2008 election, FUNCINPEC and the Cambodian People's Party formed a coalition government, although FUNCINPEC's significance has decreased steadily since 1998, when it had an equal relationship with the CPP in the coalition.FUNCINPEC is...

 officials accused Hok Lundy of ordering the attempted murder of Prime Minister

Prime Minister of Cambodia

The Prime Minister of Cambodia , is the head of government of the Kingdom of Cambodia. Prime Minister is appointed by the King under Article 119 of the Constitution and is responsible for leading the government of the Kingdom.-Constitutional powers:The powers of the Prime Minister are established...

 Norodom Ranariddh

Norodom Ranariddh

Prince Norodom Ranariddh is the second son of former king Norodom Sihanouk of Cambodia and a half brother of the current king, Norodom Sihamoni.-Biography:...

; that same day, Hok Lundy accused Funcinpec of plotting the assassination of Hun Sen, vice-Prime Minister Sar Kheng

Sar Kheng

Sar Kheng is the Cambodian Minister of the Interior. In this capacity he also holds the rank of Deputy Prime Minister. He is a member of the Cambodian People's Party and is one of the highest ranking members of that party. Sar has been the Minister of the Interior since 1998...

, and himself.

In February 2006, Hok Lundy was denied a visa

Visa (document)

A visa is a document showing that a person is authorized to enter the territory for which it was issued, subject to permission of an immigration official at the time of actual entry. The authorization may be a document, but more commonly it is a stamp endorsed in the applicant's passport...

 to visit the United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 due to suspicion of involvement in drug trafficking and human trafficking

Human trafficking

Human trafficking is the illegal trade of human beings for the purposes of reproductive slavery, commercial sexual exploitation, forced labor, or a modern-day form of slavery...

. In March 2006, he was awarded a medal by the FBI for his efforts in fighting terrorism

Terrorism

Terrorism is the systematic use of terror, especially as a means of coercion. In the international community, however, terrorism has no universally agreed, legally binding, criminal law definition...

, and in 2007, he was granted a visa so that he could attend counterterrorism talks.

Heng Pov

Heng Pov

Heng Pov was the Undersecretary of State and an assistant to the Minister of the Interior of Cambodia, as well as police commissioner of the city of Phnom Penh, and a personal advisor to Prime Minister Hun Sen.Heng Pov was born in Kandal province to a family of Chinese-Vietnamese descent...

, a former police chief in Phnom Penh

Phnom Penh

Phnom Penh is the capital and largest city of Cambodia. Located on the banks of the Mekong River, Phnom Penh has been the national capital since the French colonized Cambodia, and has grown to become the nation's center of economic and industrial activities, as well as the center of security,...

, accused Hok Lundy of involvement in over 70 deaths, including those of several high-profile Cambodian figures; in return, Hok Lundy accused Heng Pov of involvement in several other murders, including that of a judge.

Human Rights Watch

Human Rights Watch

Human Rights Watch is an international non-governmental organization that conducts research and advocacy on human rights. Its headquarters are in New York City and it has offices in Berlin, Beirut, Brussels, Chicago, Geneva, Johannesburg, London, Los Angeles, Moscow, Paris, San Francisco, Tokyo,...

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"

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. 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. 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.