Mao Bunthou, the provincial hall’s head of inter-sectoral Bureau, was briefly detained on the order of prosecutor Sin Virak after stabbing deputy prosecutor Say Veasna in the throat with a knife at a restaurant. Photo supplied
A Kampong Thom Provincial Hall official was sent to hospital for heart treatment diseases on November 17 after being arrested for allegedly attempting to murder a provincial court deputy prosecutor.
A provincial Military Police officer who asked not to be named said Mao Bunthou, the provincial hall’s head of inter-sectoral Bureau, was briefly detained on the order of prosecutor Sin Virak after stabbing deputy prosecutor Say Veasna in the throat with a knife at a restaurant.
The anonymous officer said the alleged attempted murder occurred at the Pech Chenda Waterfall Restaurant on November 16.
Veasna said that at the time of the incident, he was eating with friends and other officials at the restaurant while Bunthou was eating in an adjacent room. Later, he said, Bunthou walked into his room and started acting oddly, opening and closing the door several times.
“Until around 9pm, Bunthou, armed with a white sharp knife hidden in his hand, walked into my room and offered his left hand for me to shake. At that time, because I thought he was older than me, I offered my right hand to shake his hand.
“Then Bunthou came close to me and pulled the knife to stab me in the throat, but I caught it without causing injuries,” Veasna said.
However, after questioning at the provincial Military Police on November 17, officers decided to send the suspect to the provincial referral hospital for treatment due to heart disease problems, according to the anonymous officer.
“We have not yet been able to determine when the case will be closed, because the suspect is now suffering from heart disease. The provincial doctor who came to examine suspect said [Bunthou’s] heart jumped quickly and he had chest pains. So we sent him to the provincial hospital for treatment on the morning of November 17,” the officer said.
Prosecutor Virak said on November 17 that the case is currently under the Military Police’s jurisdiction and would be referred to the provincial court for further action.
“Now authorities are questioning some witnesses. So Bunthou is still under Military Police [detention] for further questioning,” he said.
