BANTEAY MEANCHEY: A spokesperson for the Banteay Meanchey Police is denying allegations that a suspect being held on drug trafficking charges was killed while in custody at the Mongkol Borei police station. An autopsy showed that the suspect died of a heart attack, presumably of a drug overdose. The parents of the victim initially accepted the report, but after seeing bruises on their son’s body, they are suing the police for wrongful death while in custody.

The Banteay Meanchey police released a video of a suspect at the station who appears to be high while thrashing on the floor before he died.

Police Commissioner Major General Sith Loh ordered an in-depth inspection of his subordinates and said that torture is not tolerated in his unit. The internal investigation concluded that no acts of torture were committed against the suspect.

According to forensic results of the autopsy, the suspect died of a heart attack. The results of the autopsy were given to the suspect's parents and relatives, and they acknowledged the results as true. Video taken at the man’s funeral shows his family asking for an end to the rumors and saying that they accept that their son died of a heart attack.

According to the Major General, he had gone to the family three times to ensure they accepted the results and offered them the opportunity for another autopsy and internal investigation, but the family said they had no doubts and only wanted their son’s body to arrange a traditional funeral.

After receiving the body, however the father of the suspect filed a complaint to the Banteay Meanchey Prosecutor’s Office on August 16, claiming that his son’s body showed signs of torture from the police.

In a social media post, the Banteay Meanchey Police said that they would not tolerate officers who violate their code, nor would they accept those who undermine the dignity of the police and incite mistrust by spreading rumors.