CPP Official in Thailand After Acid Attack

By Seng Ratana, VOA Khmer
Original report from Phnom Penh
14 July 2008

A government official injured in an acid attack in Phnom Penh Sunday was sent for treatment in Thailand, but his condition is not critical, a top police official said Monday.

Ngor Srun, a Cambodian People's Party secretary of state for the Council of Ministers, was attacked Sunday afternoon as he had a flat tire changed on his car on Kampuchea Krom Boulevard, Phnom Penh Police Chief Touch Naroth said.

Ngor Srun was treated for several hours at Calmette Hospital and sent to Thailand around 4 pm Sunday afternoon, hospital officials said.

Police will begin an investigation, even though there has been no charges pressed by the victim or his family, Touch Naroth said.

Neither suspects nor motive have been identified, and no one has come forward as a witness, making an investigation difficult, Touch Saroth said.

Ngor Srun was injured on his face and chest, though the injuries were not critical, Touch Naroth said.

Phay Siphan, spokesman for the Council of Ministers, confirmed the attack and the victim's government position, but he declined to give further details.

Prampi Makara District Governor Srun Sroan said he would push for further investigation, but he could not release more information because none had been provided by the family.

Kek Galabru, president of the rights group Licadho, said the case was likely related to a personal conflict.

The use of powerful acids to attack personal rivals is not uncommon in Cambodia. At least eight people, including six men, have been killed in such attacks since 1999, with about 90 men and 90 women reporting attacks, according to Licadho.

Sunday's assault was the first acid attack on a government official and came two days after the shooting murders of an opposition newspaper reporter and his son in Phnom Penh.

Ngor Srun attacked by acid

Monday, July 14, 2008
Everyday.com.kh
Translation from Khmer by Socheata

The acid attack on Ngor Srun, the secretary of state at the Council of Ministers, created a new upheaval at 12:35 PM on 13 July, in front of Thmor Da tire fixing and replacement shop, located next to the Thmor Da restaurant, along Kampuchea Krom Boulevard, Monorom commune, 7 Makara district. The Koh Santepheap newspaper reported that, according to eyewitness at the location of the incident, there were two attackers, one of them jumped off a motorcycle, and poured acid on Ngor Srun’s head to his foot before taking off and disappearing. The report indicated that Ngor Srun was seriously burnt by the acid from his head down to his foot, on the right side of his body. Because Ngor Srun’s face was seriously burnt, his family decided to take him to a hospital in Thailand at 3:45 PM on the same day. The cause of the attack is unknown, but a local newspaper reported that it could be due to a family problem. Ngor Srun is a CPP member and the husband of Chea Sim’s second daughter.

CPP Ngor Srun, Chea Sim's son-in-law, attacked by acid in an alleged "family problem"

Cambodian secretary of state attacked by acid

PHNOM PENH, July 14 (Xinhua) -- Ngor Srun, secretary of state at the Cambodian Council of Ministers and top aid for Deputy Prime Minister Sok An, was the victim of an acid attack Sunday morning and now in Thailand for further medical care, said police source here Monday.

The attack occurred in downtown Phnom Penh, as Srun ended his participation of a major general election campaign for the Cambodian People's Party (CPP) and prepared to bring his vehicle to a nearby workshop for mechanical check, said the source.

Srun was hospitalized at the Calmette Hospital around 11:00 a.m. local time Sunday and transferred to Thailand later in the afternoon, the source said.

Police refused to give more details of the crime.

English-Khmer language newspaper the Cambodia Daily Monday quoted hospital source as saying that Srun was burnt on the left side of his face, ear and chest.

His wounds were cleaned, treated and bandaged in the emergency room over the course of two hours, said the source.

"The patient's symptoms seemed fine. But with an acid attack, it is hard to predict," the source added.

Meanwhile, the paper quoted an anonymous man as saying that "this is a family problem, (but) I want to keep it a secret."

Srun, a CPP member, is husband to the second daughter of Cambodian Senator President Chea Sim.

This has been the second high-profile crime so far during Cambodia's general election month, which started in June and will end on July 27.

Friday, veteran reporter Khim Sambo and his son were shot dead on street. Sambo used to work as part-time contributor for the Khmer Conscience News, a Cambodian-language newspaper closed affiliated with major opposition party.