A prisoner handcuffed to a bed at the Ratanakkiri provincial hospital escaped on Saturday night, officials said yesterday.

Ros Chana, 32, was awaiting a court hearing after being arrested last month on drug charges.   

Ros Saram, deputy provincial prosecutor, said the woman had been taken to the hospital on July 29 because of a “serious health problem”.

Ros Saram said her two prison guards “were tired and fell asleep”, but still had the handcuff keys when they woke up.

“We are still trying to work out how she managed to unlock the handcuffs,” he said.      

Interviews with doctors and nearby patients revealed that Ros Chana’s mother had aided the escape, he claimed.  

Ros Saram added that the military police questioned the perpetrator’s father, who claimed he was uninvolved and had only been to the hospital to bring his daughter a blanket.

Liv Mauv, director of the Ministry of Interior’s department of prisons, said “it was the guards’ fault” because “they were charged with watching her and they let her run away”. Ngin Nel, provincial prison director, declined to comment.