Sen Sok Raid

Phnom Penh Municipal Court on Tuesday found 28 of the 38 men arrested in a weekend raid on a cockfighting ring in Sen Sok district guilty of illegal gaming, sentencing them to 25-day jail terms and ordering them to pay fines of 45,000 riels (about US$11) each, Deputy Prosecutor Hing Bunchea said, adding that the jail terms were suspended. The other 10 men were released after Judge Din Sivuthy determined they had not been involved in illegal cockfighting, Hing Bunchea said. More than 50 people were detained during the raid, which was conducted in Khmuonh commune on Saturday, but only 38 were sent to the court for investigation on Monday. Military police explained on Monday that those who were released had either been growing mushrooms on the land or buying mushrooms there. Kith Sophal, the district military police chief who conducted the raid, said Tuesday that he was pleased with the verdict. “I don’t mind the court’s decision to not put them in jail for a longer period of time since it is a minor crime,” he said. “I respect the decision.”