Kidnappers release three-star general’s son

Tuesday, 25 October 2011
Buth Reaksmey Kongkea
The Phnom Penh Post

Kidnappers freed the son of a three-star general yesterday in what his father claimed was a case of mistaken identity that led the assailants to drop a US$500,000 ransom demand.

So Akno, the son of Lieutenant General So Phan, the deputy director of the general commissariat of the National Police, was kidnapped on October 8 by a group of armed men who police said then demanded $1 million ransom for his release.

But So Phan said that, having already halved their demand, the kidnappers released his son yesterday at 2am without extorting a cent from him.

Kidnap Victim Released Unharmed, Father Says [-DAP news claimed that $500,000 ransom was paid for his release]

Monday, 24 October 2011
Heng Reaksmey, VOA Khmer | Phnom Penh

So Ath No was recovering from his ordeal and would not speak to reporters, So Phon said.

So Ath No, the 49-year-old son of a senior government official, was released by kidnappers in the predawn hours Monday, nearly two weeks after his abduction.

The kidnappers had originally asked for a $1 million ransom from his father, So Phon, who is an undersecretary of state at the Ministry of Interior.

So Phon said Monday he had paid no ransom and did not know the reason his son was released.

So Ath No was taken by four men from his home in Phnom Penh’s Russey Keo district on Oct 8. He was released around 1 pm in Tuol Kork district and took a motorcycle taxi home, So Phon said.

So Ath No was recovering from his ordeal and would not speak to reporters, So Phon said. He said he wanted to thank the kidnappers for releasing his son unharmed.

It remains unclear whether police have any leads in the kidnapping. Kiet Chantharith, a spokesman for the national police, said he had not been informed of So Ath No’s release.

Other police officials were not available for comment.

-------------

ក្រុមចាប់ជម្រិត បានដោះលែងកូន លោក សូរ ផន ជាថ្នូរនឹងប្រាក់ ៥០ម៉ឺនដុល្លារ

Monday, 24 October 2011

ដោយ ៖ សយ សុភាព-DAP-New

ភ្នំពេញ ៖ យោងតាមប្រភពពីមន្ដ្រីនគរ បាលក្រសួងមហាផ្ទៃ បានប្រាប់មជ្ឈមណ្ឌល ព័ត៌មាន ដើម អម្ពិលឱ្យដឹងថា នៅថ្ងៃចន្ទ ទី ២៤ ខែតុលា ថា ចំណាប់ខ្មាំង លោក សូរ អាកណូ អាយុ៤២ឆ្នាំ ដែលត្រូវជាកូនប្រុស លោក សូរ ផន មន្ដ្រីជាន់ខ្ពស់ក្រសួងមហាផ្ទៃ ដែលត្រូវបានក្រុមចាប់ជម្រិត ចាប់កាលពីប៉ុន្មានសបា្ដហ៍កន្លងទៅនេះ បានមានសេរី ភាពវិញហើយ បន្ទាប់ពីក្រុមគ្រួសារ យកប្រាក់ ៥០ម៉ឺនដុល្លារសហរដ្ឋអាមេរិក តាមការទាមទាររបស់ពួកគេ ។ ប៉ុន្ដែជាជំហានដំបូង ក្រុមចាប់ជម្រិត មកទទួល លុយមុនការដោះលែងនេះ បានធ្វើឡើង កាលពីវេលាយប់ថ្ងៃអាទិត្យ ទី២៣ ខែតុលា ម៉ោង ១០និង៤០នាទី នៅក្រោយមន្ទីរពេទ្យ របេង ក្បែរលូទឹកស្អុយ ស្ថិតក្នុងខណ្ឌ ចំការមន ។ រហូតដល់វេលាម៉ោង ១២យប់ ថ្ងៃអាទិត្យដដែល ទើបពួកក្រុមចាប់ ជម្រិតដោះ លែល ចំណាប់ខ្មាំងឱ្យធ្វើដំណើរ ទៅដល់ផ្ទះ ។

Chinese man arrested in Cambodia on terrorism charges

The hostage, a Chinese woman, was rescued by police and taken to hospital (Photo: Chulthea, Koh Santepheap)
The hostage taker stabbed himself while trying to commit suicide (Photo: Chulthea, Koh Santepheap)

Dec 22, 2008
DPA

Phnom Penh - A Chinese national was arrested and charged with kidnapping and terrorism offences in Cambodia, national media reported Monday.

Police on Sunday arrested Hour Ming, 33, after he allegedly held hostage Seang Youhour, 34, for 13 hours in his house in the capital Phnom Penh and threatened to set off a bomb if officers tried to raid the building, The Phnom Penh Post reported.

The man slashed the victim's face with a knife and stabbed himself in the chest as police raided the house early Sunday morning, officials said.

Police said the suspect and the victim were being treated in a Phnom Penh hospital.

VN fishermen claim they were kidnapped for ransom by either Cambodian pirates disguised as Coast Guards or by actual Cambodian Coast Guards

The marina at Ca Mau province’s Song Doc town. Ca Mau fishermen are often threatened by pirates in and around Cambodian waters

Pirates of the Ca Mau cape

Monday, February 18, 2008
Thanh Nien News (Hanoi)

The story of southern fishermen held captive and their families’ ordeal to get them back.

The phone woke fishing boat owner Tu Nguyen at midnight last November.

On the other line, her son Dam Quoc Sinh’s voice quivered: “Mom, we’ve been taken hostage by Cambodians. They want US$20,000.” Then the line went dead.

“Don’t bother calling them back,” said Tu’s husband.

“They’ll call us in a few days. We’d better get the money ready.”

Fishing families in Ca Mau, Vietnam’s southernmost province, are more than familiar with Cambodian pirates. They know the drill.

The next morning, the couple heard the news in town.

Their fishing village of Song Doc was abuzz: three boats, including one that Tu owned, had been captured with 59 Vietnamese fishermen off the coast of Cambodia.

The other two boats belong to Diep Hong Tien and Pham Thi Ba, also from Song Doc.

Three days later the three families’ received calls from the captors and ransom negotiations began.

From $20,000, the amount was talked down to $7,500.

After gathering the money, the boat owners followed instructions given to them by the kidnappers via a translator.

Tien said the hostage takers changed the time and means several times.

The instructions finally led Tien and the others to Kien Giang Province, which borders Ca Mau to the south and Cambodia to the northwest.

They heard nothing until midnight.

Tien was then asked to take the three families’ ransoms to the Cambodian border gate alone.

He waited at the gate all day and as the kidnappers continued to change the meeting place several times.

Finally, he crossed the border on xe om (motorbike taxi) at 8 p.m.

His part of the transaction was over five minutes later.

Tien’s son called him the next day.

He and the other hostages had been released and were on their way home.

The kidnapping

Sinh said his boat was catching fish about 10 nautical miles from Tho Chu Island in Vietnamese waters when a grey speedboat rushed toward them with nearly 20 armed men in grey uniforms on board.

The armed men boarded Sinh’s boat and rounded up the fishermen threatening them with AK assault rifles.

They took the boat to Cambodia along with another four boats which had been taken in the same way.

The boats then moored in an area with a lot of small islands, said Sinh.

Sinh said he and two other captains had been escorted to one of the islands to meet “the boss” while the other fishermen were left in the custody of three guards.

The fishermen were forced to help build a boat that the pirates used to store oil and booty, he said.

The pirates made off with between VND40 million ($2,508) and VND50 million ($3,135) in spoils plus the $7,500 ransom.

The kidnappers’ grey uniforms have led some to speculate that the captors may have been in disguise as Cambodian Coast Guards or even that the Cambodian Coast Guard may have participated in the piracy.

Nothing new in Ca Mau

According to rough statistics of the Ca Mau provincial Fisheries Department, 61 local fishing boats have been held for ransom since 1998.

The local administration said it has been unable to solve the problem since most boat owners have preferred to pay the ransom rather than involve the authorities.

Ca Mau’s waters border those of Cambodia.

According to Nguyen Tuan, chairman of Song Doc Town’s People’s Committee, said that in some cases kidnappers had severely beaten fishermen in their custody to threaten boat owners who bargained for too low a price.

Cheap Cambodian kidnapper caught after refusing to pay taxi fare

Left: the 5-year-old girl reunited with her mother; Right: The cheap kidnapper arrested (Photo: Bunry, Koh Santepheap)

Wed, 23 Jan 2008
DPA

Phnom Penh - A Cambodian man who allegedly kidnapped a five-year-old girl from her provincial home and brought her to the capital to sell was caught when he arrived at his destination and argued about the taxi fare, police said Wednesday. Pech Sopheak, 23, took the girl from her Kampong Chhnang home around 100 kilometres from the capital Monday, but when he arrived he would not pay so the driver called the police, Kampong Chhnang chief of anti-trafficking General Prack Soany said.

"The police compared the girl with him to a picture of the kidnapped girl and arrested him," she said. "His problem was caused by 10,000 riel (2.50 dollars)."

She said Sopheak had admitted he was going to sell the child to an elderly couple who only had boys of their own and wanted a daughter but that she had now been returned safely to her family.

If convicted he faces up to 20 years in jail.