An angry soldier who fired 17 bullets into a superior officer outside military police

headquarters in Phnom Penh's Norodom Boulevard was still on the run yesterday, (July

15) believed to be in Kampong Speu province.

The bullet-riddled driver's door of Lieutenant Colonel Puot Sam-daleak's vehicle.

He has ditched a stolen motorbike, his automatic rifle and spare magazines, and swapped

his uniform for peasant garb, but may still be carrying three grenades.

Local police said the man, Keo Sineoum, 26, was exhausted according to two reported

contacts with villagers.

Sineoum killed Lieutenant Colonel Puot Samdaleak, 38, in Norodom Boulevard in mid-afternoon

on July 6. Samdaleak was known as a strict disciplinarian. He is alleged to have

been victimising Sineoum and had demoted him to gate duty for relatively minor breaches

of dress and saluting code.

On July 6 Samdaleak reportedly got out of the vehicle, verbally reprimanded Sineoum

for not opening the gate quickly enough, and slapped him across the face.

Enraged and humiliated, Sineoum grabbed his AK-47 and fired a long burst at Samdaleak,

killing him and riddling the door of the vehicle.

Sineoum seized a nearby motorbike and bolted.

On July 9 at 7pm a villager met a man he thought was Sinoeun. He was exhausted and

hungry, and could hardly stand up. One leg was scratched and bleeding. He asked for

compass directions and said he came to look for his cow lost in the forest.