Police arrested a man for selling swords at Boeung Tompun II commune in Meanchey district on June 12. POLICE
Phnom Penh municipal police are set to send a man to court for illegal trafficking and sale of weapons after arresting him and seizing 191 samurai swords that he had advertised for sale online.
Bun Satya, the municipal police’s minor crimes bureau chief, told The Post that officers apprehended Tiv Chhunty, 24, on June 10 at his rented unit in Tnot Chrum village of Meanchey district’s Boeung Tompun II commune.
The arrest followed a series of media reports on youths using samurai swords in gang attacks.
Satya said police had received permission from municipal police chief Sar Thet to hold a press conference with the suspect and the evidence seized before sending him to court.
“I sent the case to the Phnom Penh Municipal Court today [June 12] after presenting the case to the public, because he was involved in illegal trafficking and sale of weapons,” he said, adding that the confiscated swords were very sharp and definitely not meant to just be replicas or decorative items.
According to Satya, officers arrested Chhunty on the evening of June 10 while selling a samurai sword for $50.
Police then had Chhunty guide them to his rented unit where they found another 190 new swords in their sheaths. The man had used a Facebook account under the name Seven Tii and Facebook page Seven Cambosamoria to advertise the swords.
Chhunty told reporters at the press conference that the swords were ordered online in Banteay Meanchey province’s Poipet town on the Thai border, noting that the contrabands were then imported from Thailand and sent by taxi to him in Phnom Penh.
Chhunty had already sold 10 swords at about $50 to $60 each, claiming that he sold them to customers for display only.
“If I knew it was illegal to sell, I would not have sold it. Most of my customers were old people who bought them to put on their prayer shelves. I have never seen any young people order them because they are expensive,” Chhunty said.
Sek Socheat, executive director of the Mind Development Organisation (MDO), explained on June 12 that the issue was caused by this individual not studying the morals and virtues of society and him not having a proper job.
Selling items such as samurai swords or objects that could endanger human life or cause other problems in society was not a good thing, he said.
Socheat said this should be viewed as a crime, but he supported and encouraged the police to consider educating the person so that he can better understand the law, and that they should also have the seller sign and fingerprint a written contract pledging to stop such acts in the future.
“Police should educate him to stop doing this kind of business and causing problems related to the law. All of these factors are happening because he wants to earn money faster. He, the suspect, may not have intentionally caused harm to society. He just thinks that social media makes it easy for him to find customers and create a market for himself to sell these swords,” he said.
According to Socheat, police should attempt to find the root causes as to why young people are doing business in ways that are harmful to society and cause social insecurity.
“Polices should remain vigilant and make sure that their officers who are charged with enforcement of these laws do not become involved with the perpetrators or facilitate the trafficking and distribution of knives or swords,” he said.
