July 18: San Samnang, 20, was arrested by Kampong Chhnang anti-trafficking police for raping a mentally handicapped woman while drunk and then falling asleep on top of her. The suspect, who is from Chipuok village, Kbal Teuk commune, Teuk Phos district, Kampong Chhnang province, is believed to have raped the woman at 11pm on July 17 in front of the victim’s house. Police sources said the mentally handicapped woman, 20, had been sitting alone in front of her house when San Samnang walked past after a heavy drinking bout. Seeing the woman was alone, he grabbed her and pulled her into a dry ditch about 20 meters from her house and raped her. The victim did not cry out but two of her relatives saw San Samnang drag her away, notified the victim’s mother and went to rescue her. They found San Samnang passed out on top of the victim and lifted him off the girl. San Samnang woke up, half-naked, dazed and still drunk, and they took him to the local police. Samnang told police that he had been very drunk and said he decided to rape the girl because he knew she was mentally handicapped and would not cry out.

July 19: Two suspects were arrested by Modul Seyma district police and sent to the Koh Kong provincial police department after a drunken argument ended with them killing one of their friends. Kak Sieng, 25, and Kak On, 23, got very drunk and began arguing with their friend before beating him and stabbing him three times. The victim was identified by police as Sorng Meouk, 22. The incident occurred at 2am on July 18 in Village 3, Pak Khlorng commune, Koh Kong province.

July 20: Svay Dangkom commune police, Siem Reap district police and Siem Reap provincial police arrested three suspects who are accused of large-scale daylight robbery and motorbike theft. Police seized many tools as evidence of the trio’s crimes. The suspects are Vong Theuon, 35, Tim Sakea, 24, and Chea Chamreoun, 28. Police sources said the suspects were apprehended on Street 6 in the Cambodian Cultural Village in Siem Reap while trying to escape to Battambong. Svay Dangkom commune police chief, Chhing Sophea, said police confiscated two motorbikes, one bolt cutter, one pistol, two plastic pistols, one Icom radio, one army uniform, one cassette recorder, one camera and various other motorbike-related paraphernalia.

July 21: Khen Kheuon, 37, was arrested by police after chopping his wife repeatedly with an axe during a drunken argument. The incident occurred at 8.30pm in the Association of Khmer Thmey, Sangkat Kok Roka, Khan Dangkor, Phnom Penh. Kheuon, who is a construction worker, chopped his wife, Pech Sophal, 35, a farmer, on the back of the head, right eye and mouth. Police sources said that the man has a history of alcohol abuse and tended to pick fights with his family after heavy drinking bouts.

July 21: Two cases of patricide occurred the same day in separate provinces. In Kratie province at around 6.30pm Sok Thom, 22, chopped his father Lay Sok, 64, with an axe as he was fed up with his father being drunk every day and picking fights with his family. Villagers said that Lay Sok was an alcoholic and couldn’t support his family and would get drunk every day and then destroy property in his house and beat his wife and children. Lay Sok had five children. Sok Thom told police that he had come home to find his sister had been badly beaten by their father. Enraged, he took an axe and chopped his father from behind twice until he died. The same day in Kampong Cham province, Mom Reth, 46, from Ampil Thom village, Khet Thom commune, Prey Chor district was killed by his son Mom Soknov, 22. Mom Soknov told police that his father drank all the time and beat his wife repeatedly despite his son begging him to stop. Finally, Soknov could bear it no more and when he saw his father begin to beat his mother he took a sickle and chopped his father’s neck causing him to die immediately.

July 22: An Australian man named Mario Alfredo Gonzalez, 42 became engaged in a fist fight with a female gasoline seller before trying to self-immolate after he filled his motorbike with gasoline and tried to leave without paying. The incident occurred at 8:30am in Village 1, Khsam commune, Kampong Chhnang district, Kampong Chhnang province. Police sources said Gonzalez could not provide identification because he had left his passport in Phnom Penh at the shop he rented his motorbike from. Police said they did not understand why he had refused to pay as he had 130,000 riels in his pocket. They also did not know why he had grabbed the bottle of gasoline and poured it over himself and attempted to set himself on fire. Police said they suspected he was on drugs.

July 24: A man was shot and beaten by undercover police in broad daylight in the car park of the Phnom Penh Center when a drug bust turned violent. The incident occurred about 3pm and eye-witness Kuch Sarey, 24, said “the man, who got shot was telling police that he was not a drug dealer but the police didn’t listen and tried to handcuff him and then shot his ankle when he resisted.” She added that after shooting the suspect in the leg, the police pistol-whipped him across the head. A member of the Tonle Bassac police, who asked not to be named said, “Lach Sophoan, 23, was the man who got shot by the undercover policeman who is called Tola.”