After the summons letter was issued to invite the suspect responsible for the deaths of five people, it was reported this afternoon that Mr. Siv Cheysith has turned himself in to the police station following the incident that occurred on 27 March at around 10 PM. The post from the officer on 30 March was also posted when social media attention intensified regarding the poster of the victims' funeral procession with the caption “hit and run.”
His decision to turn himself in may be due to the efforts of Battambang Police, who have kept posting the summons, including this morning. Moreover, the case gained significant attention yesterday when the Prime Minister of Cambodia posted on social media, ordering the Minister of Justice and the General Commissar of the National Police to study the case. The Deputy Prime Minister and the Minister of Interior also stated that the suspect’s father should bring his son forward. Therefore, it may be either the suspect’s own decision to surrender or the result of social media pressure pushing for the case to be handled properly and justly.
So the question is: what if the case did not go viral and social media did not care—what would happen?
In terms of enforcement, suspects are normally handcuffed if they resist cooperating with the authorities. However, they must be detained after being found to have committed a traffic accident, regardless of who they are or their family background. Therefore, Mr. Siv Cheysith, the son of the Deputy Commissioner of Banteay Meanchey Province, turned himself in a few hours late, beyond the deadline stated in the summons. This may explain why he was not handcuffed and appeared under less pressure, possibly due to his parents’ presence. Yet, no matter what, his decision to turn himself in will help comfort social media outrage.
In this matter, the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Interior posted that the public should wait for the results from the authorities.