Khmer National Unity Front
The Khmer National Unity Front (KNUF), also known as the Tiger Liberation Movement and Tiger Head Movement, is a Cambodia-based domestic terrorist group whose objective is to violently oust Vietnamese influence from within the Cambodian government. The KNUF was founded by Sok Ek and receives its "Tiger" nicknames from its symbol, which features three tiger heads. Like the Cambodian Freedom Fighters, the KNUF is reportedly dependent on foreign aid. The group is blamed for two foiled bomb attacks against the Cambodian government's:
- Cambodia-Vietnam Friendship Monument on July 29, 2007
- Cambodian Defense Ministry and state-run television station TV3 on January 2, 2009.[1]
KNUF Membership
The KNUF is based in Cambodia's Mondulkiri Province and is composed of six to nine armed criminals. Four alleged members were recently arrested and are awaiting trial:[2]
- Som Ek (also known as Ti To[3]), KNUF founder and former Khmer People's National Liberation Front member. He is a dual Thai-Cambodian citizen.
- Reach Samnang, former Deputy Police Chief for the Mondulkiri province
- Lek Bunnhean
- Phy Savong
Another KNUF member, Sok Kimsovat, was arrested in mid-2007 and is serving a prison sentence at the Prey Sar Prison.
Public Disbelief
Mondulkiri provincial Governor Lay Sokha and the Royal Cambodian Armed Forces denounce the KNUF and are currently searching out its members. The human rights organization ADHOC, on the other hand, has only heard of the criminals without any "Tiger" references. Cambodian Representative Yim Sovann dismisses the KNUF's existence as "ridiculous"[4] and merely a government scare-factor technique.