The men arrested after the shooting are hiding their faces. According to the Koh Santepheap newspaper, one of drunk patrons pulled out his new handgun to show off to his friends. He became angry when his friends teased him that his gun was not loaded. He then asked the Karaoke bar workers to line up in front of him, and started shooting on the floor tiles. Pieces of the tiles injured 4 of the women workers. (Photo: Samnang, Koh Santepheap)17 February 2008
By Sav Yuth
Radio Free Asia
Translated from Khmer by Socheata and Heng Soy
Five women working at the Neang Puon Karaoke bar in Chong Kaosou village, Slor Kram commune, Siem Reap district, Siem Reap province, were injured from handgun shooting by a group of 4 patrons in a karaoke room during the evening of Saturday, at around midnight.
One of the victims of the shooting, among 3 others who are currently hospitalized at a private clinic, told a human rights NGO investigator in the morning of Sunday 17 February that she was not aware (about the shooting), her group was greeting the patrons who came into a VIP room located on the second floor, when shots rang out, and 4 of the women were injured.
Nevertheless, the woman said that she does not know the identity of the shooter(s), nor how many there was: “We were standing in line, someone shot me on my body. The sound was echoing all over, I thought it was a firecracker.”
Prak Chanthoeun, the military police commander, said that the shooting may be due to the gun going off by itself. Immediately after the incident, military police arrested 4 men and confiscated 1 handgun which the police claimed was an illegal gun, based on an order issued by the prosecutor. Nevertheless, Prak Chanthoeun avoided revealing the position of the men involved in the shooting.
Prak Chanthoeun said: “We arrested those involved in the incident, and (we confiscated) one illegal hand gun based on the prosecutor (order) immediately (after the incident), and now we continue the work.”
The military police headquarters had also confiscated a right-handed Isuzu car painted in army color, belonging to the 4 suspects, and according to an unofficial revelation by the military police, the 4 suspects included: a forestry department chief, soldiers, and the bodyguard of a VIP.
The owner of the Neang Puon Karaoke shop who refused to tell his name, rejected questions from human rights NGO on Sunday morning, and he considered this case to be a minor one: “This is a minor issue. You understand what you are doing (all this questioning) for, if you want money, I will give you money. I don’t have anything to explain, the military police made all the arrangements already.”
Investigators for the Licadho and Adhoc NGOs in Siem Reap scolded the Karaoke management for trying to hide this criminal case, and turn it into a minor civil case instead by paying off the workers and those who were injured, in order to shut them up and prevent them from talking. “The owner of the Neang Puon attempted to hide the injuries. These injuries would make the case a criminal one, and they turn it into an ordinary civil case instead by paying it off and ending it. They do not allow us to meet with the workers, they shut the mouth of all the workers, preventing them from contacting us.”
Military police officers indicated that Siem Reap province is a tourist zone, no shooting incident ever happened in any shops, this is the first time that such shooting incident takes place and it injured 5 people.
One of the victims of the shooting, among 3 others who are currently hospitalized at a private clinic, told a human rights NGO investigator in the morning of Sunday 17 February that she was not aware (about the shooting), her group was greeting the patrons who came into a VIP room located on the second floor, when shots rang out, and 4 of the women were injured.
Nevertheless, the woman said that she does not know the identity of the shooter(s), nor how many there was: “We were standing in line, someone shot me on my body. The sound was echoing all over, I thought it was a firecracker.”
Prak Chanthoeun, the military police commander, said that the shooting may be due to the gun going off by itself. Immediately after the incident, military police arrested 4 men and confiscated 1 handgun which the police claimed was an illegal gun, based on an order issued by the prosecutor. Nevertheless, Prak Chanthoeun avoided revealing the position of the men involved in the shooting.
Prak Chanthoeun said: “We arrested those involved in the incident, and (we confiscated) one illegal hand gun based on the prosecutor (order) immediately (after the incident), and now we continue the work.”
The military police headquarters had also confiscated a right-handed Isuzu car painted in army color, belonging to the 4 suspects, and according to an unofficial revelation by the military police, the 4 suspects included: a forestry department chief, soldiers, and the bodyguard of a VIP.
The owner of the Neang Puon Karaoke shop who refused to tell his name, rejected questions from human rights NGO on Sunday morning, and he considered this case to be a minor one: “This is a minor issue. You understand what you are doing (all this questioning) for, if you want money, I will give you money. I don’t have anything to explain, the military police made all the arrangements already.”
Investigators for the Licadho and Adhoc NGOs in Siem Reap scolded the Karaoke management for trying to hide this criminal case, and turn it into a minor civil case instead by paying off the workers and those who were injured, in order to shut them up and prevent them from talking. “The owner of the Neang Puon attempted to hide the injuries. These injuries would make the case a criminal one, and they turn it into an ordinary civil case instead by paying it off and ending it. They do not allow us to meet with the workers, they shut the mouth of all the workers, preventing them from contacting us.”
Military police officers indicated that Siem Reap province is a tourist zone, no shooting incident ever happened in any shops, this is the first time that such shooting incident takes place and it injured 5 people.
