MAY 24: Two of six gangsters, Chea Rithek, 24, and Kim Sia, 22, were arrested

at 7:40 pm while riding two motorcycles on Monivong bridge in Chhbar Ampov 2 precinct,

Phnom Penh. Police said the gangsters were arrested by bodyguards accompanying Cambodian

National Assembly President Prince Norodom Ranariddh as they tried to overtake his

car.

 

MAY 24: Heng Samuot, 34, was beaten and severely injured in a drinking

quarrel in Prey Thom village, Kampong Trabek district, Prey Veng. Police said the

victim was hit with a steel rake by his brother-in-law, Mam Phiach, who was angry

as he was criticized and belittled after he tried to give opinions on a political

issue. Samuot died later of massive head injuries.

MAY 25: Chau Chhen She, 44, a Taiwanese, was arrested for the second time

for human trafficking after two teenage girls were found with him at a guest house

in Doeum Sleng village, Mean Chey district, Phnom Penh. Police said that Chhen She

was arrested last year and incarcerated one month after he was accused of illegally

detaining 20 girls at Phnom Penh's Beauty Hotel, but was later released.

MAY 25: A 27-year-old woman, Chang Thou, was arrested for human trafficking

in Steung Meanchey village, Mean Chey district, Phnom Penh. Police said that Thou,

a Vietnamese brothel owner, was accused of illegally detaining four teenage girls

in order to force them to be prostitutes The girls were rescued and handed over to

the child protection NGO Agir Pour les Femmes En Situation Precaire.

MAY 26: Jem Chin, 16, a Vietnamese recycler, died in hospital after he

was knifed and seriously injured in a quarrel at 9:30 pm in Psah Thmei 3 precinct,

Phnom Penh. Police said the victim was stabbed in the chest by his 18-year-old friend

calling himself "Mike Tyson", who was angry and picked up a knife from

a house nearby after he was knocked down while boxing with two others.

MAY 26: Three Vietnamese were kidnapped for $15,000 ransom while fishing

at 11:15 am in Pra Soat village, Kampong Svay district, Kampong Thom. Police said

the victims, Chhun Tieng, 42, Nguyen Dang Tau, 41, and Doeuk, 33, were captured and

brought into a forest by five gunmen who threatened to kill all hostages if their

families refused to give the money for them.

MAY 26: Khlaut Sophon, 28, was beaten and lost consciousness in a robbery

at 9 pm while riding a motorcycle in Banteay Chas village, Siem Reap. Police said

the victim, a moto-taxi driver, was stopped and hit several times on the head with

long sticks after he refused to hand over his bike to four people. Mao Ran, one of

four robbers, was arrested after his motorbike hit a tree while trying to escape.

MAY 27: The body of a 25-year-old man, Saroeun, was found floating at Tumnop

Ralak port in Sihanoukville. Police said the victim, a fishery worker from Kampong

Tralach district, Kampot province, was possibly stabbed in the chest and the back

in a drinking quarrel. The assailant escaped.

MAY 28: A 40-year-old woman, Srey Neang, was arrested while preparing to

get on a moto-taxi with a girl on Preah Norodom Blvd in Chamcarmon precinct, Phnom

Penh. Police said the arrest came after Kheng Huot complained to authorities that

the woman was attempting to traffic his seven-year-old daughter into prostitution

in Kampong Cham province where she is living.

MAY 28: A married man, Kiet Thuon, 67, was killed instantly and Choun Yoeun,

52, was severely injured in a grenade attack at 10 pm in Prey Russey village, Serey

Sophorn district, Banteay Meanchey. Police said the grenade was thrown into the victims'

house by an unidentified man who then escaped. Revenge is the suspected motive as

the victims had recently argued with a son-in-law who was angry after he was not

allowed to come back home as he had been diagnosed HIV-positive.

MAY 28: Suon Sary, 30, was sent to Calmette hospital for treatment after

he was beaten and severely injured in Toul Sangke village, Russei Keo district, Phnom

Penh. Police said the victim, a disabled man, was hit several times on the head with

a long stick by his servant, Sambath, 30, who became angry after he was repeatedly

ordered to give him a massage. Sambath was arrested.

MAY 28: Som Vuthy, 28, was beaten to death in a football quarrel at 3 pm

in Taing Russey village, Samrong Tong district, Kampong Speu. Eye witnesses told

police that Vuthy was captured and hit on the head with rocks by a group of people

after Vuthy hit Saing Sarath in the face as he tried to take back his ball while

playing with other people.

MAY 29: Yun Phirom, 32, was sent to hospital after suddenly losing consciousness

at 4:20 pm at a guest-house in Khbal Tumnop village, Mean Chey district, Phnom Penh.

Doctors told police that the victim, a moto-taxi driver, had been drugged with sleeping

pills by his two passengers who stole the bike. Phirom was invited for dinner after

dropping the passengers at the house.

MAY 29: Khlep Tolla, 43, a major of the military police from Kampong Chhnang

province, died instantly in an accident at 11 pm while driving a car on National

Road 5 in Oudong district, Kampong Speu. Police said the car flipped several times

into a canal after hitting a big tree on a footpath while Tolla was returning from

drinking beer with his friend and passenger, who was also severely injured.

MAY 30: Phal Bora, 28, was found hanging under the stairs of a flat in

Srah Chak precinct, Phnom Penh. Police said the victim, who was married with one

daughter, did not leave a suicide note but a Pasteur Institute blood test report

confirming Bora's HIV-positive status and a personal letter were found in his pockets.

MAY 30: Chet Chun, 47, was knifed and severely injured in a family quarrel

at 7:30 am in Ta Pon village, Sangke district, Battambang. Police said the victim

was chopped in the neck and her left ear was cut off by her 44-year-old husband,

Pich Boeun, who was angry as he was asked to stop swearing after he saw her talking

with another man. Boeun was arrested later.

MAY 31: Khat Sary, 39, was sent to Preah Kosamak hospital after he was

shot and seriously wounded at midnight while asleep in Thmey village, Boribo district,

Kampong Chhnang. Police said Sary, a lotus farmer, was shot in the head and the left

ear by unknown assailant who then escaped. Revenge is the suspected motive as the

victim had argued with a neighbor few days earlier about land ownership.

MAY 31: Sok Khom, 42, a taxi car driver, was axed and severely injured

in a robbery while fixing his car at 8:30 pm in Thnal Keng village, Ba Teay district,

Kampong Cham. His wife told police that her husband was chopped three times in the

head after he tried to fight off one of two robbers who attempted to steal some money

from her. The robbers escaped.

JUNE 1: A 30-year-old man, Chan Monny, a fried noodle vendor, was killed

instantly after being electrocuted in the evening in Ta Nguon village, Dangkor district,

on the outskirts of Phnom Penh. Police said the victim, who knew nothing of electricity,

was electrocuted while fixing an electrical meter at the house of his mother-in-law

without turning off the power.

JUNE 1: Yard Try, 28, a moto-taxi driver, was shot and wounded at 2:20

pm in a robbery in Teuk Chea village, Ang Snoul district, Kandal. Police said the

victim, who had had the job for only two days, was shot with a K-59 handgun after

he refused to hand over a key to two robbers. One robber was gunned down on the scene

by district authorities and another escaped.

JUNE 1: A 39-year-old woman, Soeng Ly, was sent to hospital after she was

beaten and injured in a family quarrel at 7 pm in Svay Pak village, Russei Keo district,

on the outskirts of Phnom Penh. Police said the victim was hit on the head with a

long stick by her husband, Sok Phal, 48, who was angry after she squeezed his testicles

in an argument about her failure to cook rice. Phal was arrested.

JUNE 2: Chi Hai, 50, was knifed and severely injured in a robbery at 10:30

am in Psah Kandal 1 precinct, Phnom Penh. Police said the victim had her hands tied

behind her back and was stabbed once and hit on the head by two robbers after she

tried to ask for help. The robbers escaped empty-handed.

JUNE 2: An ambulance from the Cambodian Red Cross was destroyed at midnight

after taking a victim to Calmette hospital. Police said the car was blocked and attacked

by 10 people on motorbikes after arriving in front of the Ministry of Rural Development.

The assailants were angry as the ambulance had allegedly rescued an individual suspected

of stealing a motorbike.

JUNE 3: The body of a 56-year-old man, Van Pich, was found in the early

morning in a canal in Koh Norea village, Mean Chey district, on the outskirts of

Phnom Penh. Police said the victim, a construction worker, was possibly killed and

his body dropped there. The motive for the killing is not known.

- Translated from Khmer newspapers Koh Santepheap and Rasmei Kampu- chea by

Aun Pheap