A former Cambodian governor convicted of shooting and wounding three female garment workers during a 2012 protest surrendered to authorities Saturday after more than two years on the run, police said.
Chhouk Bandith, former governor of Bavet town in the eastern province of Svay Rieng, turned himself in for arrest in the capital, Phnom Penh, according to the website of Cambodia's national police.
Chhouk Bandith had been sentenced to 18 months in prison after being convicted of "unintentional violence" in the shooting of the three workers, who were among a crowd of 1,000 demonstrating for better working conditions and benefits outside their factory, which made footwear for Germany's Puma and other brands.
He had gone into hiding before his conviction was affirmed by an appeals court in November 2013, which came after charges had originally been dropped.
Chhouk Bandith was demoted after being named the prime shooting suspect on the basis of eyewitness testimony. Human rights groups criticized as too lenient the charge of unintentional violence that was lodged against him, and were furious when the case was originally dropped for what a prosecutor called lack of evidence.
Saturday's police announcement said that Chhouk Bandith had confessed to the crime and been sent to Svay Rieng to serve his prison term.
The arrest comes as activists from the opposition Cambodia National Rescue Party are facing a legal crackdown, with more than a dozen either charged with, or convicted of, insurrection in connection with a political protest a year ago that turned violent.
Chhouk Bandith's arrest allows the government to rebut claims that the judicial system fosters a system of impunity, where the rich and well-connected can escape justice, while the government uses the courts to persecute its opponents.
This content appears as provided to The Globe by the originating wire service. It has not been edited by Globe staff.