JULY 22: Pen Vuthy, 33, was shot dead by her husband with an AK-47 rifle

at her home in her village, Kilometer Number 4, Poipet commune, Banteay Meanchey

province. Duong Vanna, 38, alias Nha, confessed to the district police that he and

his cousin were drinking wine on the house and that he had shot his wife after accusing

her of having a love affair with another man. O' Chrove district police chief Colonel

Roath Srieng said they arrested the two and found drugs. Vanna was a former espionage

soldier in Division 12. 

JULY 22: San Kim Long, 56, hanged himself from a mango tree in his backyard

in Kamchai Mea district, Prey Veng province. The police suspect suicide, saying they

did not find any scars or evidence of torture on his body. Sreng Heang, Long's wife,

said he had complained for a month that he owed a lot of money and had tried several

times to kill himself. Heang found him hanging from the tree in the morning.

JULY 23: Miss Eum, 22, a garment worker, died instantly from head injuries

after falling from her friend's motorbike along route 6A. The friend said Eum fell

asleep on the back of the bike while driving back from a seven-day funeral ceremony

in Srey Santhor district, Kampong Cham province.

JULY 23: Three members of a family died from injuries and three others

were seriously injured while crushing a 120mm mortar rocket for scrap metal at their

shop near Kampong Speu provincial market at midday. The three died shortly after

they were sent to the provincial hospital. A policeman saw them crushing the rocket

and asked them to stop immediately, but they did not listen. He was also injured.

JULY 23: Eleven garment workers died and nine others were seriously injured

in a truck accident at a bridge on national route 3 in Teuk Thla village, Dangkor

district, at 9.30pm. The police said the accident was caused by the driver, Meuy

Nimol, 19, driving carelessly. The truck crashed over the bridge's barrier and fell

into the river.

JULY 23: Yum Sambo, 38-year- old police chief of Kob commune, Ochrouv,

Banteay Meanchey, shot himself with an AK-47 in his office after losing about 100

family registration books, worth around $2.50 each. You Deth, a policeman in the

district, said that after hearing a shot other policemen rushed to the office where

they found the police chief with serious head injuries. He died shortly after arriving

at the hospital.

JULY 23: Sok Sophat, 37, a policeman, shot himself in the chest with two

rounds of his AK-47 rifle at the Koh Kong provincial police station, where he worked.

The police said Sophat committed suicide because he was frustrated that his wife

had run away.

JULY 24: Nal Sinath, 27, a moto-dup driver, was knifed to death by a boyfriend

of his Vietnamese girlfriend after he threw shoes at her in front of a karaoke parlour

in Sangkat Boeung Keng Kang I, Khan Chamcar Morn, Phnom Penh. The police said the

victim was stabbed in the abdomen by Thy, who later escaped. Sinath was sent to a

Phnom Penh hospital, but died later.

JULY 24: The torso of an unidentified male was found floating in a river

in Prey Veng province. The Kampong Liev district police said the victim was a 20-year-old

man who had been killed a week earlier. They found an iron bar tied to the man, and

said that robbery was the likely motive.

JULY 24: Four members of a family were kidnapped in the early morning by

a group of kidnappers while sleeping in their house in Sra Nge village, Balang commune,

Baray district, Kam-pong.The police said five people armed with two AK-47 rifles

entered the house while the ocupants were sleeping. The kidnappers escorted them

to a durian orchard outside the village and demanded a ransom of three million riels.

Relatives of the family had only 300,000 riels which they borrowed. The police saved

the hostages while they were exchanging money with the kidnappers, who escaped into

the forest.

JULY 24: Peou Lai, 77, was axed to death by an unknown person at his wooden

house in Trapeang Ktom, Svay Chachep commune, Kampong Speu province. The Borseth

district military police said he was struck in the neck while lighting a fire under

his bed to keep warm. The villagers claimed the man was killed because he knew sorcery.

The killer escaped.

JULY 25: Two farmers were shot and wounded by robbers in Kean Svay district,

Kandal province, while returning by motorbike from hospital. Ek Vannak, 35, and Som

Savy, 21, are in-laws and live in Kean Svay district. The assailants, who were riding

a motorbike, asked the two to stop and then pulled out a pistol and shot them. The

two were sent to Calmette hospital. The gunmen escaped.

JULY 26: Ruos Von, 45, a real estate businessman, was shot dead by a group

of 10 robbers with AK-47 rifles at 8pm after refusing to tell them the location of

$20,000 he had made from selling his land. His wife, Bo Sam Ath, 43, and their two

children were tied and beaten, sustaining serious injuries. Before the robbers escaped,

they stole a plan for a plot of land, 2.5 damlung of gold and 30,000 riels. The incident

took place at Prek Treng, Samrong Thom commune, Kien Svay district, Kandal province.

JULY 26: In Nuon, 51, a chicken seller in Thnol Chey village, Prey Veng

district, Prey Veng province, was beaten by six robbers at 8.15pm. The robbers asked

him at gunpoint if he had a hidden weapon in his house. He was beaten by a robber

with a stick while he was screaming for help. The robbers took 95,000 riels and escaped.

JULY 27: Thai Nguon, 20, was robbed of his Viva motorbike by two men in

front of his house in Sangkat Boeung Keng Kang 3, Khan Chamcar Mon, while returning

from the New York English school. Thai Nguon gave the men his motorbike to avoid

being shot. The robbers escaped.

JULY 27: Seng Vannarith, 22, was axed to death in a dispute by unidentified

persons in the Borei Keila squatter camp, Sangkat Veal Vong, Khan Prampi Makara.

The police said Vannarith, who had previously been arrested by police on petty theft,

was killed by his friends, who are burglars. The police are searching for the criminals.

JULY 28: Sak Theara, 19, a moto-dup driver, was axed and robbed of his

motorbike. He said a well-dressed man disguised himself as a client by offering him

3,500 riel to go to Taing Krasang pagoda from Prampi Makara market. When he arrived

at the destination, the man pulled out an axe and chopped him on the head. He was

seriously injured. The robber escaped, but left the motorbike behind.

- Translated from Khmer newspapers Koh Santepheap and Rasmei Kampu chea by

Lon Nara