By James Welsh
THE CAMBODIA DAILY
A 25-year-old Australian woman said Tuesday that she was gang raped at gunpoint by five Cambodian youths in central Phnom Penh earlier this month.
The disclosure follows an internal security warning issued by two Australian government programs to their volunteer aid workers in Cambodia, which stated that an attack had taken place against an Australian woman in the capital.
Gang rape of Cambodian women is disturbingly common, but the attack earlier this month is one of the first reported cases involving a foreigner.
The woman, who spoke of the attack on condition of anonymity, wrote in an e-mail from Australia that the incident happened in the early hours of Nov 1 after she left the Heart of Darkness and took a motorbike taxi driver whom she flagged down a block from the busy nightclub.
As her driver approached Monivong Boulevard, she noticed that two motorbikes carrying five men in their 20s were following her motorcycle, she said.
"Along the way, the two bikes came up on either side of the [motorbike] and forced it to turn right down a dark street (I'm not sure which one, but just before Sihanouk I think)," she wrote. Having entered the side street, the woman said that she was pulled from the motorcycle taxi. "They had their guns out and the [motorbike taxi] kept driving," she wrote.
The woman claimed that the five men took turns raping her on the street and that she did not report the attack to the Cambodian police.
"The attackers were young ... and from the looks of their fancy bikes, quite rich. So I'm sure you can understand my reluctance to make an official police report," wrote the woman, who is receiving counseling in Australia.
The Australian Embassy declined comment on the reported attack but referred questions to Australia's official travel advisory site, vww.smartraveller.gov.au.
Hy Pru, deputy municipal police commissioner in charge of security, said police will investigate.
"We will investigate according to the news even if there is no report by the victim," he said, adding that it would be difficult to collect evidence since nearly a month has elapsed since the attack.
Touch Naruth, municipal police commissioner, said police pay special attention to the security of foreigners and that the victim should have reported the case.
Theary Seng, executive director for the Center for Social Development, said she welcomed the victim's decision to go public with the attack.
"She's doing the right thing by raising awareness," she said.
In March, a complaint was filed with police in Siem Reap province regarding the rape and robbery of an 18-year-old European woman while she was touring Angkor Archaeological Park.
The teenager said in her police complaint that said she was robbed and partially stripped at about 5:30 pm on March 4. About an hour later, alone and barefoot in the park she was approached by three men, who surrounded her, hit her on the back of the head with a stone, and one of them raped her, the complaint said.
"Mentally, she is devastated," the victim's uncle said at the time, on condition of anonymity.
Tan Chay, chief of Siem Reap's heritage police, said Tuesday that police have since concluded that the rape never happened and that it was a false claim.
There are too many police and visitors in the tourist area for the rape to have happened, Tan Chay said.
(Additional reporting by Pin Sisovann.)
The disclosure follows an internal security warning issued by two Australian government programs to their volunteer aid workers in Cambodia, which stated that an attack had taken place against an Australian woman in the capital.
Gang rape of Cambodian women is disturbingly common, but the attack earlier this month is one of the first reported cases involving a foreigner.
The woman, who spoke of the attack on condition of anonymity, wrote in an e-mail from Australia that the incident happened in the early hours of Nov 1 after she left the Heart of Darkness and took a motorbike taxi driver whom she flagged down a block from the busy nightclub.
As her driver approached Monivong Boulevard, she noticed that two motorbikes carrying five men in their 20s were following her motorcycle, she said.
"Along the way, the two bikes came up on either side of the [motorbike] and forced it to turn right down a dark street (I'm not sure which one, but just before Sihanouk I think)," she wrote. Having entered the side street, the woman said that she was pulled from the motorcycle taxi. "They had their guns out and the [motorbike taxi] kept driving," she wrote.
The woman claimed that the five men took turns raping her on the street and that she did not report the attack to the Cambodian police.
"The attackers were young ... and from the looks of their fancy bikes, quite rich. So I'm sure you can understand my reluctance to make an official police report," wrote the woman, who is receiving counseling in Australia.
The Australian Embassy declined comment on the reported attack but referred questions to Australia's official travel advisory site, vww.smartraveller.gov.au.
Hy Pru, deputy municipal police commissioner in charge of security, said police will investigate.
"We will investigate according to the news even if there is no report by the victim," he said, adding that it would be difficult to collect evidence since nearly a month has elapsed since the attack.
Touch Naruth, municipal police commissioner, said police pay special attention to the security of foreigners and that the victim should have reported the case.
Theary Seng, executive director for the Center for Social Development, said she welcomed the victim's decision to go public with the attack.
"She's doing the right thing by raising awareness," she said.
In March, a complaint was filed with police in Siem Reap province regarding the rape and robbery of an 18-year-old European woman while she was touring Angkor Archaeological Park.
The teenager said in her police complaint that said she was robbed and partially stripped at about 5:30 pm on March 4. About an hour later, alone and barefoot in the park she was approached by three men, who surrounded her, hit her on the back of the head with a stone, and one of them raped her, the complaint said.
"Mentally, she is devastated," the victim's uncle said at the time, on condition of anonymity.
Tan Chay, chief of Siem Reap's heritage police, said Tuesday that police have since concluded that the rape never happened and that it was a false claim.
There are too many police and visitors in the tourist area for the rape to have happened, Tan Chay said.
(Additional reporting by Pin Sisovann.)
11 comments:
These motherfuckers should be punish by hanging. My heart is broken from hearing this. Fucker, fucker, fucker. Fuck the Khmer idiots.
what the hell?
Is this woman stupid or what?
She doesn't report because the rapists APPEARED RICH AND FROM POWERFUL FAMILY? what are they going to do to her when she reports? doesn't she care about what happened to her? WHAT THE FCUQ? stupid.
I think there's more to this story.
why invetisigate and report this story? no report ...not happening.
stupid written all over this case.
AUSSies mo' fcukers are either losers, drunks, pedophiles, drug smugglers, or STUPID.
Bad people exists in all races not just Aussies. Khmers aren't all perfect either...look at the people running the country.
Awww..my heart goes out to ya! On behalf of all khmer out there, I am very sorry and hope that u will not judge all of us as bad guys! Pls come back to visit us again but next time.. pls be more careful.. meaning dont take ride on motobike taxi late at nite .. instead perhaps take a cab or ride in a group.
I can only hope ur next visit to us will be peaceful, and joyful. All the utmost best!
Tomie
Those fucking animaux are ofspring
of the Viet's slave! they should put in kage with their parents for haraash and kill and rape people in Cambodia!
Wordl leaders do you know now how Cambodian have suffering from those abused by Hun Sen group with the Viet advisors?
Help us reforme the less than useless to soci ety, but killer and corrupted Cambodia Royal Police!
Gang rape? Talking about selling women and children in prostitution are way more serious than gang rape! But then, this is a foreigner that Cambodian people are dealing with and so Cambodian people will have to make a big deal about everything!
Nobody give a fuck about small Cambodian children work as slave and the selling of children and women in prostitution! Oh please! The foreigner always have more power than Cambodian people and why don't these foreigners go their ambassador or go the authorities and arrest those mother fuckers?!
I told you that Cambodian under AH HUN SEN is a fucken hell and more hell to come! This is really sick me!
She didn't report her case, maybe she liked to be gang raped. Some woman considers that as her fantasy, especially Caucasian woman. some woman prefers to be tied up and being raped by the ugliest man. It's a sexual fantasy!
THIS IS NOTHING NEW, IN ASIA LOTS OF MEN DREAM OF HAVING SEX WITH CAUCASIAN WOMAN. I AM NOT SURPRISED, IN THAILAND FEW YEARS BACK A SEXY AUSTRIAN TOURIST WOMAN IN THE EARLY 20 GOT LURED AND TRAPPED IN THE SECLUDED TEMPLE AND WAS RAPED BY A "BUDDHIST MONK" WHO LONGTIME CRAVED FOR SEX AFTER BECOME A MONK, IT WAS IN THE NEWS! WHEN IT COMES TO SEXUAL FANTASY, SKY IS THE LIMIT
Rape is a crime by definition, whether you are white, black or yellow. Any ideas how much money from donor countries, including Australia, go to support the civil society and law enforcement to protect Cambodian women and children from sexual exploitation? Of course, foreigners are not above the law if they commit crimes in Cambodia.
As a Cambodian, I feel ashamed to hear comments like "she may like to be gang-raped" or "she does not deserve this kind of attention" and other thoughtless excuses. Self pity does not give you a better right than everyone else. These people could only see one side of the coin, even Ah Kwak could do better than this. I'm sure the Australian people are smart enough to forgive unkind comments made by some uneducated Cambodians here.
There may be a good reason for her not to report to the local police. In the past, those rich kids commit murder right in front of Heart of Darkness, which is right next to the Headquarters of Municipal Police (which has now been sold off). What did the police do? Nothing, because those kids are from rich and powerful families. That is reality, folks.
To 9:59 AM
Stupid you for saying shit! Why are these cilivize Aussie should be afraid of these animals in the first place? Aussie people must have understood by looking deep into Cambodian trouble history like the killing field and corrupted government! Cambodia is hell on Earth! Cambodia is the Wild West of the last frontier in Asia!
If the Aussie people afraid of these animals and they wouldn't come to Cambodia in the first place!
No Cambodian people or civilize people should give in or give more ground to these animals to walk on!
Put all these mother fuckers in the fucken cage now! I don't give a fuck who they are!
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