A farmer accused of killing his wife on Sunday after fighting with her about drinking while they harvested cassava in Oddar Meanchey province will appear in court today, authorities said.

Leav Samey, 46, was arrested after allegedly striking his wife, Sin Chhen, with a wooden farming tool, then slashing her throat with a machete, said In Kay, district police chief for Trapaing Prasat.

After arriving drunk at the cassava farm, Chhen asked Samey not to drink while harvesting their crop, which made him angry, Kay said.

He "hit her back three times and then used a machete to slash her neck,” he said.

Kay said Chhen's relatives informed police of the slaying, and Samey was caught and arrested after running away a short distance.

Tep Seurn, commune chief of O’Svay, said the victim had never filed any domestic violence complaints against her husband, but he was known for his drunken behaviour and had previously been reprimanded.