Early May: Try Sem, 39 and her son in-law Ros Ron, 18, fled away from home

after they had love with each other. Sem's daughter, Sombok Eam, 18, said she got

married to Ros Ron three months ago but her mother got pregnant by him four months

ago. She said her mother had not allowed Ros Ron to sleep with his bride since the

marriage. She added that her mother was faking illness so the bride and groom had

to look after her and could not go on their honeymoon. Sombok Kek, 41, the husband

of Try Sem, said that he had not slept with her for one year, but she had got pregnant.

He said he was looking for his wife, not to get her back but to get back the motorcycle

and money which belonged to him. He said if his son in-law wanted to come back to

live with his wife (Kek's daughter), it's up to him. The incident took place at Cheng

Prey village, Kandal Stung district, Kandal province.

 

May 10: A woman, Yem Chany, 28, a worker at a plywood factory, was splashed

with acid by Hong Savath, 29, at 7:30am in Sdauv Kanleng village, Kandal province,

after the offender got angry that the victim had taken her husband. Chany is the

second wife, and Savath the first wife, of Sour Sarith, 35. The offender escaped.

May 10: At least five people died and 10 were injured, mostly children,

when a grenade explodes at 7:30pm in front of a cafe in Kratie province. The motive

is still being investigated.

May 12: Moto driver Yorn Lyna, 27, fell unconscious after two passengers

invited him to enjoy drinking ABC beer and eating duck eggs laced with poison in

the park in front of the Cambodiana Hotel. The offenders escaped with his motorcycle.

May 13: A person died and 32 others were injured by two grenades tossed

into a wedding party at 3am in Wat Ang village, Kampot province. A singer said that

one man asked her to dance but she denied him, and a few minute later the grenades

were tossed. The offender escaped.

May 13: At least 45 houses were burned down in Ou Chrauv district, Poipet

town, on the Cambodia-Thai border. Thousands of wrist-watches and millions of Thai

baht were lost in the flames. The chief of Military Police asked Thai firemen to

come to stop the fire.

May 14: Three people were injured by seven gunmen, some wearing Military

Police uniforms, who shot long guns at a brothel at 12:40am in Khan Toul Kork, Phnom

Penh, after an argument about paying for sex with a prostitute. One of the victims

was the prostitute. The offenders ran off.

May 14: Chom Sam Oeun, 28, a Motor Works Company guard and also a policeman,

was killed by unidentified men who fired two bullets into him in his bed at 2am at

the Motor Works Co. located in Domnak Thom village, Khan Meanchay. The motive is

still being investigated. The offenders escaped.

May 14: The Del Mex company was robbed by three unidentified robbers at

#206 Kampuchea Krom Blvd. The company staff were tied up. The robbers escaped with

$2,000, a TV and two handphones.

May 14: Prek Moeun, 33, was killed by a bolt of lightning when the rain

started while he was planting rice at 3:30pm, Kamchay Mai district, Prey Veng province.

May 14: At least 12 houses were destroyed by a heavy storm and one cow

was killed by a bolt of lightning at Troey Sla commune, Saang district Kandal. A

source said so far this month two people had died from lightning in Kandal province:

one was Sem Sorn, 37, a palm tree climber, and another one was a teacher in Cror

Bauv district.

May 16: Five robbers - Yen Sareth, Ngeth Son, Ara Toch, Tea Ya and Along

- were gunned down and another four were arrested by police at 9:15am at the Rathany

Restaurant in Prek Leap, Khan Russey Keo while they were enjoying drinking and setting

a plan to rob people at night-time.

May 15: Tek Kham, 34, a robber, was killed and Oum Vanchy, 30, a robber,

was arrested after they stabbed Toch Chiva, 29, a moto-taxi driver, and attempted

to steal his motorcycle at 8:45pm on the corner of Street 115 and Sihanouk Blvd.

But police said that Kham's dead body was lost from a pagoda early next morning.

May 17: Oum Sitha, 25, a robber, was killed by a mob of people after he

attempted to rob Venh Khoeun, a moto-taxi driver, on the corner of Streets 291 and

562, Sangkat Boeng Kak I, Khan Toul Kork. Another robber escaped alive.

May 17: An unidentified Chinese national was killed by an unidentified

man in front of the Singhai hotel, Sangkat Boeung Keng Kang I, Khan Chamcarmon. The

motive is still being investigated.

May 17: Tep Sary, 37, a moto-taxi driver, fell unconscious after two passengers

invited him to drink a glass of beer with them near the round-about near the Olympic

Stadium. The offenders escaped with the motorcycle, and Sary joined the long list

of moto-drivers who have been poisoned by people who give them free beer in the past

few years.

May 17: Oun Salem, 34, was killed by her drunkard husband when they had

an argument after her husband came home from the sour palm juice drinking place at

8pm in Tropang Old Village, Samrong Tong district, Kompong Speu. The offender escaped

and left five children as orphans.

May 18: Prak Sothea, 15, drowned in a lake when she tried to pick water

weeds to make a soup in Boeung Ptoeul village, Orang Ouv district, Kompong Cham province.

May 19: Meng Leap, 34, was robbed by six bandits using long guns, most

of them wearing military uniforms and with black paint on their faces, at his Pounhea

Leu Petrol Station. The offenders escaped with two million riels and $600 and one

stereo.

May 19: Ly Phally, 39, was arrested by police at 4pm in Saang village,

Baray district, Kompong Thom province, after she attempted to poison a schoolgirl

to gouge out her eyes for sale. The offender confessed that in 1996 she and an accomplice

gouged out the eyes of five people to sell them for $400 a pair. Police are searching

for the accomplice, a man named Phal, who pretended he was a monk. No-one knew who

bought the eyes.

May 20: At least 53 houses were burnt down on the Changvar peninsula off

the Phnom Penh riverfront. Nobody died. People said the fire was caused by a drunk

Vietnamese family who had an argument and one of them poured petrol and burnt down

his house. The Vietnamese family escaped.

May 20: Hung Srey Toch was raped by her stepfather after he threatened

and whipped her to make her go to the Phnom Penh train station. When they arrived,

she was taken by her stepfather to a dark place and raped her. The stepfather was

arrested.

May 21: One monk was killed and two other monks were seriously injured

when an abandoned M79 grenade exploded while they were digging in land to repair

the road near the Ang Mony pagoda, Ang Snoul district, Kandal.

May 21: Tand Thida, 18, and an unidentified man died and another girl was

injured when their motorcycle crashed into a car at 8:30am on National Route 3, Kandal

Stung district, Kandal province. An eyewitness said the girl passenger put her feet

up on the thigh of the man driving the motorcycle and suddenly the motorcycle turned

and hit the car.

May 22: Five thieves were arrested by police at 10am at the Prek Pnauv

gun checkpoint after they stole money from a gold seller near the Sharaton Hotel.

Police confiscated one car that they had rented from a taxi driver.

- Summarized from Khmer newspapers Kos Santepheap and Rasmei Kampuchea by Bou

Saroeun.