Cambodian police suspect suicide in death of French family

Tue Jan 31, 2012

PHNOM PENH (Reuters) - Cambodian police probing the deaths of a Frenchman and his four children whose bodies were found in a car submerged in a pond have ruled out murder and suspect suicide.

The bodies of Laurent Vallier, 42, and his children aged two to nine were found earlier this month in a pond behind their home in Kompong Speu, close to the capital Phnom Penh, having been missing since September.

Kirth Chantharith, a spokesman for the Cambodian police, said on Tuesday an investigation indicated that the cause of death was probably suicide and Vallier had most likely driven into the pond with the doors locked.

Vallier took his own life

Laurent Vallier (above) and the bodies of his four children were found in a car submerged behind their house earlier this month. (Photo Supplied)

Tuesday, 31 January 2012
May Titthara
The Phnom Penh Post

Preliminary police investigations indicate that suicide was the cause of death for French national Laurent Vallier, whose remains were found alongside his four children’s in Kampong Speu province earlier this month, Cambodia’s national police spokesman said yesterday.

Police spokesman Kirt Chantarith said that police had found no signs of foul play, but believe Vallier deliberately drove himself and his children into the pond near his house where all five bodies were found.

“At his house, no property had been touched, everything was in order,” Kirt Chantarith said, adding that the only interference was the removal of an urn containing Vallier’s wife’s ashes, which was discovered inside the car after it was hauled out of the nearby pond.

Tragic life and suicide of a Cambodian-New Zealander boy

Boy's death blamed on CYF errors

24/05/2010
By BRITTON BROUN
The Dominion Post (New Zealand)

Hoki Thompson still cannot understand why her 14-year-old charge Denbora Oum took his own life.

The slightly built Cambodian boy, who was under Child Youth and Family care, had been happily living with Mrs Thompson and her husband Bill at their Porirua foster home for three months.

She had looked after troubled children for 30 years, but was devastated when she came across Denbora's body on the porch of her house on June 28, 2005.

"I felt so guilty, I felt like I hadn't done enough," she said yesterday.

"I've had a lot of suicidal kids but you know they're like that and you see the signs. With poor Denbora there was nothing. It's such a shame. He just wanted to go back to school ... and back to his mum."

Mrs Thompson remembered Denbora being quiet but smiling, a mischievous prankster who always followed her around.

But he had been in and out of CYF care since he was an infant, between living at home with a violent mother and a brother who physically and sexually abused him.

Mrs Thompson said she was told nothing about his suicide risk.

Denbora was born in New Zealand, one of five children in a Cambodian family. His father died when he was four and he and his brothers and sisters were raised by their mother.

Wellington coroner Garry Evans said CYF had categorised Denbora as a high risk of suicide in 2001. Mr Evans found communication and system failures at CYFs Porirua office had contributed to Denbora's death.

In 2002, counsellor Steve Phoenix said the boy's problems stemmed from his family and intervention was needed to change their behaviour. If nothing was done Denbora may attempt suicide, he warned.

Mr Evans said 11 different social workers had dealt with the family, but there was minimal exploration of family relationships and history.

No-one had in-depth knowledge of Denbora's life, while plans to help the Oum family fell short.

Mr Phoenix's clear warning should have been acted upon, he said. "Implementation of the plans would have required good communication and engagement by the social worker with Denbora, his family and the other professionals involved ... [but] there is little evidence of good engagement."

Failures included:

Language and cultural barriers and a negative perception of Denbora's mother saw her become isolated from the CYFs process.

CYFs paperwork was lacking, with important information and several risk assessment reports not put in Denbora's files.

Ad Feedback Pressure in the Porirua CYFs office was "intense" because of understaffing. When Denbora died, his social worker was on stress leave, possibly delaying him going to a new school.

The work culture in the office was more about meeting "computer-based key performance indicators instead of more in-depth work with the children and their families".

Mr Evans recommended CYFs develop a risk assessment and management plan for every child in their care; that work systems focus on the holistic care of children; and records be thorough, regularly updated and stored electronically and on paper.

CYFs chief executive Ray Smith said Denbora's death was "an immense tragedy" but there had been great improvements since.

There was now better supervision and support for social workers, more training, and more effective risk management.

"This has resulted in major improvements to the way our sites, including the Porirua office, are operating and a significant staff culture change," Mr Smith said.

CYFs had also reduced the number of unallocated child cases, from 3482 in 2004 to 69, and improved its suicide prevention programmes. The agency would also look at Mr Evans' other recommendations.

DENBORA'S WORLD

Part of a story entitled My Life at Home, written by Denbora Oum a few months before his death:

"I think it is a little bit safe because my brother always gives me hidings and my mum doesn't even care. I bet you that when I go home my brother will give me a hiding because my mum will tell him to."

"Everyday my brother is always punching me on the back just for fun and as always does it for nothing . . ."

"When I have some money on me he will beat me up for it . . ."

WARNING: Casino gambling may be hazardous to your life

Korean commits suicide after gambling away fortune in Cambodia

Nov 7, 2008
DPA

Phnom Penh - A South Korean man committed suicide in a Cambodian hotel after gambling away his fortune in the country's casinos, media reports said Friday.

Police found Chae Geong Seok's body hanging in his Phnom Penh hotel room Thursday with a suicide note explaining to his family that his fortune was gone, The Phnom Penh Post said.

The man's body was taken to the city's Calmette Hospital to be collected by his family.

Failed Suicides Leap Into Arms of Fishermen

By Pich Samnang, VOA Khmer
Original report from Phnom Penh
14 October 2008

Dark skinned and thick-muscled, Sari Ou Meu navigated his boat toward the middle of the Tonle Sap river, beneath the Japanese Friendship Bridge in northern Phnom Penh.

"This is the place where people drown when they drop from the bridge," said the 57-year-old boatman, indicating the water surface near the middle pile of the bridge.

The Muslim fisherman said he had dragged 71 people from the water in his life, with eight just this year. "But the number excludes drowned jumpers whose lives I could not save."

Most of the victims are under 30, most of them are depressed about ruined relationships or family matters, and the lives of many of them, police said, are completely in the hands of fishermen.

When Sari Ou Meu pulls suicidal people from the water, he turns them over to nearby police, who then call their parents.

Sometimes the family pays a reward, between $2.50 and $5, he said. "Sometimes they give none. It's up to them."

Thirty-two people tried to commit suicide from the bridge this year and nine succeeded, up from 27 attempts and four deaths the year before, according to the Target III Unit, which is tasked with guarding the bridge.

Lt. Un Phal, administrative head of the unit, said operations to pull jumpers from the water rely solely on the fishermen. The unit has no resources to save people from drowning, he said.

"What we can do to help is have our guards on the bridge watch and stop those who are attempting to jump off the bridge," Un Phal said. "If they have already falled into the water, their lives are in the hands of the fishermen."

Most of the people who jump from the bridge say they had suffered a break-up in a relationship, he said.

"Most of the people who failed at a suicide attempt tell me they wanted to kill themselves because their lover left them," he said. Others are angry at their parents, and some people attempt suicide when they learn they have HIV.

Chhim Sotheara, managing director of the Transcultural Psychosocial Organization, said many people attempt suicide because they suffer depression, which can be caused by the loss of beloved things.

The first stages of depression, he said, include sadness, thinking too much, sleep loss, and a loss of interest in regular activities. Those with symptoms should seek help from friends, relatives or experts, Chhim Sotheara said.

US murder suspect dies in Cambodian hospital

Tuesday, 30 September 2008
Macau Daily Times

A US national charged with murder over the strangling of his Vietnamese girlfriend died of an apparent suicide in a Cambodian hospital, local media reported yesterday.

Grant Kim Helling, 47, was found hanging dead Saturday in the bathroom at Phnom Penh's Monivong Hospital, the English-language Cambodia Daily newspaper reported.

The man was reportedly getting treatment for his legs, which he badly injured jumping from his first-floor balcony on February 22.

He was arrested that day when he allegedly set his Phnom Penh apartment on fire in an attempt to destroy his girlfriend's body.

When police searched his home they found the woman strangled with a coat hanger. Her hands were bound and her body was covered with a smoldering mattress and clothing.

Helling was charged with murder and faced life in prison if convicted.

He told authorities he had fought with the woman after accusing her of stealing money from him, police said.

Helling said he "covered the woman's nose and mouth with his hand until she fell unconscious. He did not know she was dead and then went out drinking," the police chief Mom Sitha said in March.

He discovered that she was dead after returning home, Mom Sitha said.

Local media reports said Helling reportedly hid the body in his apartment for several days before torching it and drawing the attention of his landlord, who notified the police.

Police Question Three Guarding Dead Drug Suspect

Chiep Mony, VOA Khmer
Original report from Phnom Penh
23 August 2007

Authorities Thursday were questioning the three men guarding a drug suspect who fell to his death Tuesday, in what police say was a suicide.

The men guarding Oum Chhay, a key suspect in a drugs production case, said they were unable to prevent the accident.

The guards had accepted responsibility for failing to prevent the suicide and were willing to accept demotion or jail time, said Interior Ministry spokesman Khieu Sopheak.

"We did question them. We asked them individually.They admitted that the accident happened so fast and they accept responsibility," he said.

Police said previously Oum Chhay lept from the building while his guards were away using the toilet.

The punishment of the three guards was not yet determined, Khieu Sopheak said.

Oum Chhay's death has weakened an investigation into a methamphetamines lab raided by police in April.

Another leader in the drugs production case, Chea Chong, is being held in Prey Sar prison, undergoing questions, police said.

Oum Chhay attempted to commit suicide twice before succeeding

Wednesday, August 22, 2007
Everyday.com.kh
Translated from Khmer by Socheata

Oknha Oum Chhay, owner of the Chhay Chhay Investment company and an advisor to Heng Samrin, president of the National Assembly, who was arrested by the Ministry of Interior (MoI) police on 15 August for involvement in the drug lab production in Kompong Speu province, committed suicide by jumping down from the first floor of the anti-drug-trafficking office of the MoI. Khieu Sopheak, MoI spokesman, told The Cambodia Daily that since his arrest, Oum Chhay unsuccessfully attempted to commit suicide twice already: once by running head first into a wall, and another time by trying to electrocute himslef. However, on Tuesday, Oum Chhay succeeded in evading 3 police officers who escorted him to the bathroom, and he took the opportunity to jump out of a nearby window. Khieu Sopheak said that a committee led by Neth Savoeun, the deputy national police commissioner, was formed to investigate on the cause of Oum Chhay’s death. Khieu Sopheak said that, before dying, Oum Chhay confessed that he did provide help in the transportation of raw chemicals to the drug lab located in Kompong Speu province.

Cambodian official commits suicide over alleged involvement in drug case

August 22, 2007

Om Chhay, adviser for Cambodian National Assembly President Heng Samrin, committed suicide here on Tuesday morning during police detention over alleged involvement in drug case, officials said.

"I knew that Om Chhay died," Phnom Penh's Deputy Prosecutor Sok Kalyan said after conducting the autopsy of Om Chhay's body.

Om Chhay, also president of the Bantey Meanchey Provincial Commercial Chamber, killed himself by jumping off the building of the anti-drug authority of the Interior Ministry, leading to serious damage of his back and head, an official said on condition of anonymity.

At noon, the body of Om Chhay was handed over to his family for funeral ceremony.

Heng Samrin left for Malaysia on Monday and had denied any knowledge about Om Chhay's connection with the case.

According to Cambodian-language newspaper the Raksmey Kampuchea, Om Chhay was arrested on Aug. 15 near the border with Thailand, for being allegedly involved in the drug production case in Kompong Speu province, where the Cambodian police staged a raid on April 1 and arrested 18 people.

The chemicals found in the drug lab there were destroyed on Aug. 16. With the materials, over 54 million U.S. dollars worth of drugs could be produced.

In a related development, Chea Cheung, the alleged mastermind of the case, was arrested late on Tuesday in Savy Rieng province near the border with Vietnam and sent to the Phnom Penh Municipal Court for questioning, police officers said on condition of anonymity.

Chea was former adviser for Deputy Prime Minister Nhiek Bun Chhay, but Chhay denied any connection with him.

Source: Xinhua

Oum Chhay's apparent suicide (nobody allowed to see his body) and Chea Chung arrested (the next one to leap out of a window?)

Key Drug Suspect Plunges to His Death as Potential Ringleader Held

Heng Reaksmey, VOA Khmer
Original report from Phnom Penh
21 August 2007

A key suspect in one of Cambodia's biggest drug cases fell to his death Tuesday morning from the window of the anti-drugs department building where he was being questioned, police said.

Police ruled the death of Oum Chhay a suicide and said his death made building their case against an alleged methamphetamine production ring more difficult.

"The authorities regret the event, because he did give some answers," said Ministry of Interior spokesman Khieu Sopheak. "We are continuing our work, but losing Mr. Oum Chhay makes our investigation incomplete. The confession of the victim in his answers [to our interrogation] could have helped us finish our work."

Om Chhay lept from the building when the policemen who were watching him took a break to use the toilet, Khieu Sopheak said.

Oum Chhay was arrested last week on charges stemming from a drugs-lab raid by national police earlier this year in Kampong Speu, which netted four tons of materials from a so-called "super lab" for methamphetamines.

Rights workers and journalists complained immediately they were not being given access to information or the body to independently confirm Oum Chhay's cause of death.

In fact, there were several questionable circumstances surrounding the case, said Chan Saveth a human rights investigator for the group Adhoc.

Oum Chhay was reported in the local media as an adviser to National Assembly President Heng Samrin, who is also the honorary president of the ruling Cambodian People's Party.

Police also late Tuesday they had arrested another highly sought suspect, Chea Chong. He was being held Tuesday at Prey Sar prison in Phnom Penh pending drug-production charges, police said.

Please do not try this at home

Police officers examining the body of the dead man (Photo: Chauk Chey, Koh Santepheap newspaper)

Home penis enlargement ends in painful death

June 26 2007
DPA

Phnom Penh - Cambodian officials on Tuesday warned the public against home penis enlargement plans after a coroner found a man who had repeatedly self-injected his member with hair tonic had taken his own life to end the painful side effects.

Coroner Vieng Vannarith concluded that a 35-year-old construction worker had hanged himself last week after the hair tonic remedy which advertised it gave thicker and more lustrous locks failed to have the same effect when injected into his penis.

Authorities said the man had been self-injecting for some time, and the treatment had caused massive ulceration, leaving him in such permanent agony that he decided to end his ordeal by his own hand.

Although the case was a suicide, details were released to the newspapers, with authorities saying they were concerned that such dangerous self-treatment with home remedies was not an isolated case and this should serve as a warning to other Cambodians not to try this at home.

"He wanted a bigger one very badly, and the results were tragic," Vannarith said.

Poverty and joblessness lead to despair and suicide attempt

The withdrawn young woman at the police station (Photo: Ratanak)

Tuesday, May 08, 2007
Upset about joblessness, a young woman attempted to kill herself by jumping from a bridge

Koh Santepheap newspaper
Translated from Khmer by Heng Soy

Phnom Penh – A young woman undergoing life crisis was found traveling on the Chrauy Changvar bridge trying to jump from there for suicide, at 9:15 AM on 07 May. However, she was not able to jump yet when the police arrived and prevented her from doing it. She was later taken to the police station. She told police that her name is Neb Phalla, and she is a 23-year-old farmer from Trapeang Korng village, Trapeang Kranhoung commune, Tram Kak district, Takeo province.

Regarding her suicide attempt, she said that she was upset about poverty, and when she arrived in Phnom Penh to look for a job, she couldn’t find any. According to police guarding the bridge, in the morning of the incident, the young woman was seen walking back and forth on the eatern side of the bridge deck, as if she was undecided whether to jump off the bridge or not. Her suspicious activities led police to stop her and question her. She confessed that she came to the bridge to jump off and kill herself. The police then sent her to the Sangkat Chrauy Changvar office so that someone helps her find a job.

At the office, the young woman sadly confessed that she came from Takeo province, and her family is very poor with 5 children (4 girls and 1 boy), and that she is the oldest one in the family. Because of poverty, her mother forced her to travel to Phnom Penh to find a factory job. Since arriving in Phnom Penh in the past 8 days, she lived with a friend near a garment factory in Chom Chao district, and her friend is helping her find a job. However, she said that nobody accepted her to work because she does not have an identification card. Since she couldn’t find work, and of the 40,000 riels (~$8) her mother gave her for traveling expenses, she only has 5,000 riels left (~$1.25), she couldn’t pay the bus fare to return back home, so she had the shortsightedness to hire a moto-dop to take her to bridge so she can jump off and kill herself.

The young woman said that she cannot return home because her mother will surely scold her. Right now, all that she wants is to find a job, any job will do, except for selling her body and stealing. She is the 9th person this year to attempt to kill herself from the bridge.