A man in Prey Veng province yesterday committed suicide by burning himself in his Stung Slot village home after seriously injuring his wife with an axe, according to local authorities.

There were no witnesses to the attack, but Peamro district police chief Seng Ponlork deduced from evidence that perpetrator Prom Thlorng knocked his wife, Marng Nguon, unconscious before dousing himself with two litres of gasoline and setting himself alight. However, the blaze was spotted by neighbours who intervened in time to rescue Nguon and their daughter.

“[Thlorng] burned himself, but neighbours saw the fire and broke into the house, managing to help only his wife and sleeping daughter,” he said, noting that the victim had been sent to Phnom Penh for emergency treatment.

Lem Mony, senior observer at rights NGO Adhoc, yesterday attributed such domestic violence incidents in Cambodia to a widespread disregard for women’s legal rights.

“I think that information about domestic violence has reached men, but it is not followed. Many still believe they have more power than women.”