Svay Rieng provincial police arrested four people last week on charges of disinformation after they were caught distributing pamphlets predicting a third world war and the Earth’s destruction by 2012 or 2014.

Prach Rim, Svay Rieng provincial police chief, said the four people were arrested in Svay Rieng city on December 1, and were distributing photocopies of a hand-written document predicting world destruction.

“One man said that he got the tract from an old woman at the market, but he did not recognize the woman’s face and then the other people who saw it asked him to make photocopies,” said Prach Rim.

He said provincial police were educating villagers about not believing in this kind of superstition and told them no wars or destruction  were imminent.

Prach Rim said provincial police were searching for the person who wrote the pamphlet, and would release the four arrested people after educating them.