Thai border troops kill two Cambodians

Monday, 06 August 2012
Phak Seangly
The Phnom Penh Post

Two Cambodian soldiers carrying timber who had crossed the border into Thailand near Oddar Meanchey province were shot dead by Thai border soldiers, Cambodian provincial police officers said yesterday.

The two Cambodian soldiers, Soth Veth, 23, and Yuon Neath, 53, were from an artillery unit in Samrong town according to Mao Samnang, police chief in Koun Kriel commune.

Armed Thai soldiers shot the two twice in the chest when they were about five kilometres into Thailand’s Surin province at about 3:30pm, attempting to transport illegally logged timber into Cambodian territory, Chhit Chhorn, deputy chief of staff at the provincial police office, said.

“We do not know how many Cambodian soldiers went there,” Chhorn said.

Prey Veng woman shot at home

Friday, 03 August 2012
Lieng Sarith
The Phnom Penh Post

The sleepy town of Prey Veng was shaken up on Wednesday night after an eminent businesswoman was killed in her home in front of her husband, children and grandchildren.

The woman, 57-year-old Lim Neang, was shot twice in her back in an apparent “revenge attack”, Prey Veng city police chief Chan Narith told the Post, while she was eating dinner in her Kampong Leav district family home.

According to the police chief, the victim owned a slew of successful businesses in the province, including the Angkor Thom pharmacy and a number of hotels around the city.

“She was a very rich and well known woman,” he said.

Cambodian police say Frenchman shot and killed in possible robbery or crime of passion

Tuesday, July 24, 2012
Associated Press

PHNOM PENH, Cambodia — A Frenchman living in the Cambodian capital has been shot and killed in what police suspect was a botched robbery or a crime of passion.

Police say 43-year-old Franck Mathieu was shot early Tuesday while riding his motorcycle in Phnom Penh. He later died in hospital.

District police chief Houth Chan Yaran says police are searching for three suspected attackers and investigating Mathieu’s Cambodian girlfriend.

Aussie shot dead in Cambodia

January 10, 2011
AAP

An Australian man has been shot dead after visiting his Cambodian fiancee at a guesthouse in the capital of Phnom Penh, consular officials say.

The victim was named by local police as Eric Liu, the Phnom Penh Post reported on its website on Sunday.

The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade on Monday confirmed the 43-year-old Victorian died in hospital as a result of gunshot wounds to the chest.

Cambodian police said he arrived in Cambodia on Saturday and was gunned down about 9.30pm local time in the guesthouse's reception area. He died at Calmette hospital later that night.

Australian shot dead at guesthouse

Sunday, 09 January 2011
Thet Sambath
The Phnom Penh Post

An Australian man was shot and killed by two unknown assailants at a guesthouse in Phnom Penh’s Meanchey district on Saturday night, police officials said.

A district police officer, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said Sunday that the victim was 44-year-old Australian Eric Liu, who arrived in Cambodia on Saturday.

He added that the victim was welcomed by his girlfriend and her relatives at the airport and was then taken to Reaksmey Thansuo guesthouse in Stung Meanchey commune.

The officer said the victim was gunned down in the guesthouse’s reception area at around 9.30pm.

Australian man shot in Cambodia

Sun, 9 Jan 2011
Radio Australia News

A 43 year old man from the Australian state of Victoria has died in Phnom Penh as a result of gunshot wounds.

Cambodian police spokesman General Cheath Chantharith says the shooting happened on Saturday night when the man checked in at a Phnom Penh hotel.

Consular officials from the Australian Embassy in Phnom Penh are liaising closely with local authorities.

Australia's Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade says the Australian Embassy in Phnom Penh and the Department of Foreign Affairs in Canberra are providing consular assistance to the man's family.

[Cambodian-American] Man fatally wounded in S. Phila. shooting

Ranny Thon: Shot outside house.

Mon, Apr. 5, 2010
By VALERIE RUSS
Philadelphia Daily News

Ranny Thon was a peacemaker who was trying to calm an angry man when he was shot and killed early Saturday in South Philadelphia, relatives said yesterday.

The man killed Thon, 24, and wounded three relatives: a 22-year-old man who was shot in the shoulder; a 24-year-old man who was shot in the thigh and back; and a 17-year-old female cousin, who was grazed in the stomach, police said.

Yesterday, the 17-year-old cousin was sitting on the front steps of a house on 8th Street, near Moyamensing Avenue, with relatives and friends. The young woman, who asked that her name not be used, translated for Thon's mother, who came to this country from Cambodia and spoke Khmer, when she appeared briefly at the front door.

"She said to let everyone know, 'I miss him and I love him very much and I feel like I am going crazy because my son died,' " the young woman said.

Thon and his relatives were shot as they stood outside Thon's aunt's house. The girl said she believed the shooter was also Cambodian. She said Thon and his siblings were born in the United States.

No arrests had been made as of last night.

The relatives kept candles burning at a sidewalk memorial that included incense, a bowl of noodles, a cup of beer and a white plastic chair filled with stuffed animals and a picture of Thon.

The 17-year-old cousin said Thon had tried to intervene when a man came by about 2:30 a.m. and began arguing with a couple who were out on the sidewalk with her male relatives.

The man left the block for about 10 minutes and when he returned, "he got mad because the guy he was arguing with had gone," the 17-year-old said.

As Thon tried to calm the man down, the gunman started shooting. Her three male relatives were shot outside and the teenager as she stood just inside the front door. "I just screamed and started crying," the girl said. "I didn't know I was hit until I got inside."

Memorial songs for Melody

Wilson High School student Melody Ross,16, who was shot and killed Friday October 30, 2009, after a Wilson High School football game, at Wilson. Family Photo

11/17/2009
By Greg Mellen
Staff Writer
Long Beach Press Telegram (California, USA)

LONG BEACH - Two days after burying her with tears and prayers, the family and friends of Melody Ross remembered her with something the bouncy teenager would likely have preferred - songs and spirit.

A collection of poets, singers and rappers celebrated the life of the 16-year-old Wilson High junior Tuesday night at the Art Theatre in a performance attended by about 100 residents, friends and family.

Nine performers and bands filled the theater on Long Beach's Retro Row with a mixture of sounds and styles that ranged from the poetry of Mike Sonksen, to the mellow reggae and pop of Scotty G. and Universal speakers, to the rap of PraCh Ly to the spiritual sounds of the Life House Church band, and concluding with a soulful set by two of Melody's cousins, Bunna Roeum and Stephen Kosal, who perform as Living Testimony.

Ross was a bystander in a crowd when she was killed by a gun shot after Wilson's homecoming football game October 30. She was the innocent victim of an alleged dispute between gang members nearby that erupted into gunfire. Two 16-year-olds have been arrested and will be tried as adults in Long Beach Superior Court.

Before the final set of Tuesday night's performance, which was a fundraiser for the Ross family and Melody's remaining siblings, Emily, 17, and Kimberly, 6, Kosal recalled his cousin.

"Melody, whenever she came by, she'd say 'Bong, Stephen, sing me a song.' And I be 'ahhh,'" Kosal said with a hint of regret.

On this night he and Roeum had their chance.

"She wouldn't have wanted us to be sad. She was so optimistic and uplifting," Roeum said.

"She was always smiling, that's the thing we'll never forget," Kosal added.

PraCh, the local rapper who helped organize the event with members of Cambodia Town and 4 th Street Business Owners, said he hoped that in addition to celebrating Melody, the performers could get out a message.

"We need to be uniting the community," he said. "We need to raise awareness and stop the violence."

PraCh said the community couldn't afford to look away. "We're here to rally and convene and say the city of Long Beach won't stand for this," he said.

Kreng Krich, a pastor at Life House church, where Melody and her uncle, Sam Che, attended, sang with his church band while a video slide show of Melody was shown on a screen.

He praised the Ross parents for the strength and energy they have showed through their grief and said their faith has played a huge role in carrying them through.

About Melody, Krich said faith, family and friends were what mattered to her most and that if Melody would have a wish for people it would be to "live life so that there would be no regrets."

As with all the tributes and commemorations in the past two weeks, the Ross family attended and showed their gratitude to others.

The final song of the evening by Living Testimony was called "After the Rain" and was a fitting coda.

"The song is about the grieving process," Kosal said. "It's about not losing faith, not losing hope," Roeum added.

It's a sentiment Melody probably would have agreed with.

Times coverage: Funeral held for Melody Ross, 16

Chantha Ross, right, puts a rose on the casket of her daughter, Melody. As the three-hour funeral service ended, other mourners also placed roses there. Credit: Barbara Davidson / Los Angeles Times

November 15, 2009
Los Angeles Times (California, USA)

The Times' Ruben Vives reports from Saturday's funeral for Melody Ross, a 16-year-old Cambodian American teen who was shot and killed Friday, Oct. 30, in the 4400 block of East 10th Street in Long Beach while leaving her high school's homecoming football game. Tom Love Vinson and Daivion Davis, both 16-year-old black males, have been charged as adults in her slaying, which authorities say was gang-related. From the report:

Melody Ross, the Wilson High School honors student whose shooting death after a Long Beach football game touched off an outpouring of sympathy from around the country, was buried Saturday in Whittier.

A hushed throng of family members, friends and dignitaries gathered at SkyRose Chapel at Rose Hills Memorial Park and Mortuary, where her first name was spelled out in a collage of photographs taken over the 16 years of her life.

A slide show was screened above her open wooden casket, set amid wreaths of flowers. Nearby, a Wilson football helmet, a Gatorade bottle and a football sat on marble stands, each bearing signatures of those who knew her.

Looking over the crowd, Melody's uncle, Sam Che, 36, said he was touched by the expressions of love for his niece. He pointed to a photograph of Melody and gently said, "Look at her smile."

Read the complete story: Funeral held for Melody Ross, teenager shot after high school football game

Funeral held for Melody Ross, teenager shot after high school football game

Sary Choeun, left, aunt of Melody Ross, sits with the girl's parents, Chantha and Vanareth Ross, right, at the funeral service. People across the country have expressed their sympathy and sorrow on a memorial Web page. (Barbara Davidson / Los Angeles Times / November 14, 2009)

Friends, family and dignitaries pay tribute to the Long Beach girl.

November 15, 2009
Los Angeles Times (California, USA)

Melody Ross, the Wilson High School honors student whose shooting death after a Long Beach football game touched off an outpouring of sympathy from around the country, was buried Saturday in Whittier.

A hushed throng of family members, friends and dignitaries gathered at SkyRose Chapel at Rose Hills Memorial Park and Mortuary, where her first name was spelled out in a collage of photographs taken over the 16 years of her life.

A slide show was screened above her open wooden casket, set amid wreaths of flowers. Nearby, a Wilson football helmet, a Gatorade bottle and a football sat on marble stands, each bearing signatures of those who knew her.

Looking over the crowd, Melody's Uncle, Sam Che, 36, said he was touched by the expressions of love for his niece. He pointed to a photograph of Melody and gently said, "Look at her smile."

At the podium, a family member read a eulogy written by her parents, describing the family's journey from Cambodia to the United States in the mid-1980s to escape the Khmer Rouge.

Melody's parents had moved to North Long Beach only a month ago, tired of the violence in their former neighborhood near Anaheim Street, the center of Long Beach's large Cambodian community. They had hoped to raise their three daughters -- Emily, 17, and Kimberly, 6, as well as Melody -- in a new home.

"In the same house, we hoped to raise our girls to be good citizens and to grasp the potential for a great future," the eulogy said.

But that changed two weeks ago when Melody was gunned down near Ximeno Avenue and 10th Street as she and friends left the homecoming football game.

Authorities said Melody was fatally shot during feuding between rival gangs. Two 16-year-olds have been charged as adults in the killing.

Two other men -- ages 18 and 20 -- were wounded and survived.

Melody's death sparked several candlelight vigils and bake sales to help raise money for her funeral. Music videos and slide shows have been posted on the Web in her honor. Thousands of strangers from across the country also shared their sympathy and sorrow on a memorial page.

"We have lost one of our best people," Long Beach Mayor Bob Foster said. "We're here to celebrate the life of an engaging, caring, vibrant, energetic and intelligent young woman."

Students, coaches and Wilson's principal said the loss of Melody, a track athlete, had a strong effect not only on the community but also on the school.

"In the last 15 days, we all have had the opportunity to see and feel the impact one person has on us," said Wilson High Principal Dr. Sandy Blazer.

Weeping, Melody's best friend, Tori Rowles, read a letter to Melody describing how that night replays in her head, how she struggles to understand why it happened. Rowles was a witness to the shooting but was not injured.

"You understand me the best," she said. "I miss you so much."

The three-hour ceremony came to an end as everyone lined up to view Melody's body. Family members wept and stroked her black hair, placing items near her fingers.

During the burial, 16 white doves and a balloon were released into the air. As a prayer was said and a hymn sung, each mourner dropped a rose on the casket, bidding a final farewell.

Melody Ross's death causes Cambodian parents' wariness and fears to grow

Wilson High School student Melody Ross,16, who was shot and killed Friday October 30, 2009, after a Wilson High School football game, at Wilson. Family Photo

11/08/2009
By Greg Mellen Staff Writer
Long Beach Press Telegram

About the services

What: Funeral services for Melody Ross

When: Saturday from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Where: Sky Rose Chapel at Rose Hills Memorial Park, 3888 S. Workman Mill Road, Whittier. The chapel is in the East Park area. The entrance is through Gate 1. The burial will follow. The event is open to the public.

Donations: The Long Beach Education Foundation has set up a fund for the Ross family to pay for the funeral and related costs and possibly as a college scholarship fund for Ross' two sisters, Emily, 17, and Kimberly, 6.

Donations can be made by check to the Long Beach Education Foundation with Melody Ross Memorial Trust Account noted on the memo line. Checks should be mailed to the Long Beach Education Foundation, 1515 Hughes Way, Long Beach, CA 90810.

The Cambodian Coordinating Council and other civic groups are also organizing fundraisers and events to help the family.

LONG BEACH - The shooting death of Melody Ross, a 16-year-old Cambodian American bystander killed after a high school football game, has reawakened old fears and concerns among a number of Cambodian parents in the community about the safety of their children.

The tragedy also has at least some reconsidering the involvement of their children in extracurricular activities.

It also has a Cambodian sociologist telling the community that retreat is the worst outcome for Khmer kids, who need to be active and involved in their schools and culture if they are to flourish.

While the death of Ross is a concern for parents of all races, it is particularly acute among parents in the Cambodian community, where the ghosts of the Killing Fields genocide and the culture of fear are never far beneath the surface.

Ross, the daughter of survivors, was not involved in the dispute that erupted in the fatal shooting after Wilson's homecoming game against Poly on Oct. 30. She was simply in a crowd and hit at random. Police say she was not a target and that race was not a factor.

That is little solace to survivors of the genocide that left upwards of 2 million dead between 1975 and 1979.

Since Ross' death, several Cambodian parents have said they are debating whether to let their children participate in after-school activities.

Dr. Leakhena Nou, a sociology professor at Cal State Long Beach, says for genocide survivors in particular the feelings are amplified.

"Any random act of violence can be a trigger for survivors who have lived through such terrible circumstances," Nou said. "This is definitely a step backward for psychological and emotional healing."

Traditional culture

Compounding the difficulty are aspects of Cambodian culture and identity.

Ross, for example, came from a traditional family that clung to the idea of "chabap srey" or the Cambodian code of behavior for girls.

Khmer parents typically are very protective of their girls and restrict their interactions outside of the family with friends and social groups.

The football game was the first Ross had been allowed to attend and she had to lobby her parents hard to gain permission to go.

The Cambodian Coordinating Council, in a statement to the Board of Education, expressed the feelings of many.

"As you know, many of the Cambodians in this community fled during the Killing Fields to other countries for peace and freedom. When this tragic incident happens in our city, it brings horrible memories for those who are survivors," the letter said.

The news shook John and Candy Vong. Their son, Petra, sings for Lakewood High's madrigals and the parents were debating whether to let him attend the next game.

"I'm afraid to let him go," Candy said. "We haven't made a decision, but right now it's about 98 percent we won't let him go. He's our only son."

Candy says John lost much of his family in Cambodia and was nearly killed himself.

A father's fears

Just hours before Friday's football game, Bryant Ben, a survivor whose 13-year-old son, Patrick, attends Poly, had a discussion with his son.

The boy wanted to exercise his freedom and ride the bus to the game after school.

Bryant said, "No," and they went through the motions of a typical father-son argument: the child wanting freedom and independence, the parent arguing for safety.

"He said, `You're overreacting,"' Bryant recalls, "I said `You can say that."'

Dr. Christina Lee is a survivor with two younger children who understands the fear of her compatriots.

For many Cambodians, survival during the Khmer Rouge reign depended on being invisible and going unnoticed. So it is difficult to expose their children to perceived hazards.

Lee said survivors who lost family members tend to be cautious and when they lose a child for no apparent reason it is like a double blow.

She said Ross' death will probably deter parents from letting children attend events, and she admits she'd "think twice" about letting her children go.

Nou says as difficult as it may be for parents to let go, it is a vital part of the children's acculturation, their identity and their self-esteem.

Being involved in school activities, Nou says, is integral to "adolescent identity building.

"Attending a football game is a natural part of growing up," she said.

And as tempting as it may be to want to shield kids, Nou says Khmer children need to experience the full range of the high school if they are to learn, grow, adapt and succeed, which ultimately is their parents' wish.

greg.mellen@presstelegram.com, 562-499-1291

DA: 'Seriousness of crime' justified charging teens as adults in killing of Long Beach [Cambodian-American] honors student

Melody Ross

Photo: Tom Love Vinson and Daivion Davis. KTLA

November 7, 2009
Los Angeles Times (California, USA)

An L.A. County prosecutor said his office decided to charge two teens accused of killing a Long Beach honors student as adults because of the "seriousness of the crime."

Deputy Dist. Atty. Dean Bengston told reporters outside a Long Beach court that the district attorney's office charges juveniles as adults only in "rare instances" but that they warranted in this case because of the nature of the shooting and because authorities believe it was gang-related.

"You have to look at the seriousness of the crime," he said.

Tom Love Vinson and Daivion Davis, identified by authorities as 16-year-old gang members, were each charged with one count of murder and two counts of attempted murder, according to the district attorney's office.

Vinson and Daivion allegedly opened fire a week ago outside the school, striking and killing Melody Ross, a popular 16-year-old who police said was a bystander.

Two men -- an 18-year-old and a 20-year-old -- were wounded in the shooting, which occurred about 10 p.m. as crowds of students gathered near Ximeno Avenue and 10th Street for a dance. Police believe that the men may have been the intended targets and that the shooting was the result of a gang feud.

Ross was wearing a superhero costume to Wilson's homecoming game against Polytechnic High School. A number of students at the game were decked out in costumes on the day before Halloween.

On Friday night, students and the Wilson High School football team honored Ross. There was beefed-up security on campus.

The suspects are being held on $3-million bail and face life in prison if convicted. They will be arraigned today in Long Beach.

-- Shelby Grad

$10,000 Reward Likely in Long Beach [Cambodian-American] Student Murder

Melody Ross, a 16-year-old honor student was killed

Tue, Nov 3, 2009
By SCOTT WEBER
NBC Los Angeles

Melody Ross, a 16-year-old honor student, was fatally shot following Friday night's homecoming game at Woodrow Wilson High School in Long Beach. Now the County Board of Supervisors wants answers and is expected to approve a $10,000 reward for information that leads to an arrest of the gunman.

Police described Ross as "an innocent bystander who was not involved" in the dispute that led to the gunfire.

"There was an argument between two groups of people and shots were fired into a crowd," said Long Beach Police Sgt. Dina Zapalski. Witnesses heard five to seven shots as the crowd left the stadium after Polytechnic beat Wilson, 34-15.

Ross and two men, ages 18 and 20, were hit. The men are expected to survive. Ross, however, died at the hospital from a gunshot wound to her side, police said.

Ross was a junior at Wilson, where she was on the track team and was enrolled in advanced placement classes, according to school officials, who said they had extra security at the game against cross- town rival Long Beach Polytechnic High School.

No arrests have been made in the case.

County Supervisors hope the reward will encourage someone to come forward with information. Police urged anyone who took photos or video at the game or with more information about the crime, to contact detectives Scott Lasch or Malcolm Evans at (562) 570-7244.

The teen's uncle, Sam Che, told the Los Angeles Times the family had emigrated from Cambodia to the United States in the 1980s. "We escaped the killing fields," he said.

Stunned Wilson High students grieve for slain [Cambodian-American] classmate

Odell Smith, 16, covers his face and grieves with fellow Woodrow Wilson High students at the spot where Melody Ross was shot and killed. "I just saw her moments before she was shot...she was smiling," said Smith. (Barbara Davidson/Los Angeles Times / November 2, 2009)
Melody Ross, a pole vaulter, was well-liked and had a positive attitude, friends say. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times / October 31, 2009)

Friday night's shooting jolts parents who consider campus to be the safest school in Long Beach.

November 3, 2009
By Seema Mehta
Los Angeles Times

Mourning students at Long Beach's Wilson High School gathered Monday by the pavement where classmate Melody Ross was shot after the homecoming football game. Leaving handwritten notes to Melody and her family, the teenagers lit candles and shed tears as they remembered the bubbly 16-year-old.

"Why her?" asked sophomore Micah Mathis, 15, who took French with Melody, an honors student. "That's what I want to know."

The mood at the coastal campus was somber as students, teachers and administrators struggled to comprehend what occurred Friday, when someone fired into a crowd of students leaving the game, striking three people, including Melody, who was fatally wounded.

Police patrol cars circled the school. The principal's voice cracked as she addressed students. Grief counselors met with a steady stream of teenagers, who wore black shirts in Melody's honor and released balloons during a lunchtime ceremony attended by her parents.

"It's a large high school, but it's like a family and it feels like we've lost one of our own," said Chris Eftychiou, spokesman for the Long Beach Unified School District. "The students are very resilient and they are helping each other get through this difficult time."

Wilson has 4,300 students, and is racially and economically diverse. The school serves some of the city's most affluent communities, yet half the students receive free or reduced-price lunches, a measure of poverty. Many parents consider Wilson, an early adopter of school uniforms, the safest high school in the city.

Tamura Howard of Signal Hill said her 14-year-old daughter previously attended a Christian school and that she believed Wilson is safe.

"That's why I put her in this school, it has a reputation for being safe and it's in a relatively good neighborhood," said Howard, noting that her daughter attended Friday's game. "This has given me nightmares."

The week had been a boisterous one on Wilson's campus, with pep rallies leading up to the game, and a dance. Students were hoping for an unlikely drubbing of crosstown rival Polytechnic High School, one of the nation's strongest high school football teams.

"Everyone was so, so excited," said senior Daisha Black, 17. "Everyone kept saying, 'Isn't it a good day to be a Bruin?' "

But minutes after the game, shots were fired on Ximeno Avenue just south of 10th Street, striking Ross and two others who are expected to survive.

Although there were hundreds of people leaving the campus, police have no witnesses or suspects. Anyone with information is asked to call the homicide detail at (562) 570-7244.

The Board of Supervisors is scheduled to vote today to offer a $10,000 reward.

Meanwhile, rumors swirled across campus about who shot Melody.

"People don't want to talk, they don't want to open their mouths," said Black, who was a few feet from Melody when the shooting occurred, and whose boyfriend comforted her while awaiting paramedics.

Students learned about the death Saturday morning through text messages and the Internet.

Madison Guest, 16, didn't believe the rumors until a friend asked her to bring flowers to track practice Saturday. She was on the team with Melody, and recalled hearing her boisterous cheers on the track.

"She was always happy and always supported me in my running," the junior said. "I'm still in shock. I just tried to go on with my day -- that's what she would have wanted."

Melody's parents were sequestered in their North Long Beach home Monday afternoon. The family fled the Khmer Rouge and the killing fields of Cambodia to move to Long Beach before Melody was born.

One month ago, tired of the violence in their last neighborhood, near Anaheim Street, the center of Long Beach's large Cambodian community, the family moved to North Long Beach.

The district's superintendent set up a fund to help the family with funeral costs and other needs at: http://www.lbusd.k12.ca.us/Community/Education_Foundation/melody_ross_fund.cfm.

seema.mehta@latimes.com

[Cambodian-American] Girl killed after Poly-Wilson game called 'innocent bystander'

Melody Ross, 16, seen on the LCD monitor of a friend's camera.
LONG BEACH, Calif. -- Friends and classmates of Wilson High School junior, Melody Ross, 16, gather on Ximeno Ave. between 7th and 10th streets adjacent to Wilson on Saturday, October 31, 2009 to mourn Ross s death in a Friday night shooting. Ross and friends were leaving the school s football game against crosstown rival Poly when Ross was struck by a stray bullet. Two other males were wounded. (Diandra Jay/Press-Telegram)

Man wounded in second incident Friday night

10/30/2009
By John Canalis and Greg Mellen, Staff Writers
Long Beach Press Telegram

LONG BEACH -- The 16-year-old girl shot and killed after the football game between Poly and Wilson high schools was believed to have been "an innocent bystander who was not involved" in the altercation, City Councilman Gary DeLong said Saturday morning.

The girl went to Wilson High School, the 3rd District councilman said. Her identity was not released by officials but she was identified Saturday morning as Melody Ross by a cousin, Han Yin, who was among mourners gathering at the scene near the high school.

The girl, a junior and one of three victims in the 10 p.m. Friday attack near 10th Street and Ximeno Avenue, died in an area hospital, the Long Beach Police Department reported.

Two men, ages 18 and 20, were also injured in the shooting. They were hospitalized with injuries not believed to be life-threatening.

The other two victims are not believed to be students at either Wilson or Poly, DeLong said, citing preliminary police information.

The shooting occurred sometime after 10 p.m., shortly after Wilson had lost to arch-rival Poly High School 34-15.

Friends said that the dead teen's parents had come to the United States fleeing the "Killing Fields" of Cambodia, and had recently moved to a new home that they considered a safer place to live.

DeLong, whose district includes Wilson High, said he was told police have strong leads in the case but was not yet aware of any arrests.

"It's a horrific event," DeLong said, "and my heart goes out to the families."

DeLong said police have not yet been able to determine what led to the altercation.

LBPD is the finest law enforcement agency in California and I have no doubt they will find and arrest the criminals who committed this horrific act.

I've been in constant contact beginning last evening with Deputy Chief Luna, City Manager Pat West, both Wilson Co-Principals and concerned parents. All City resources will be available for Wilson High School to access both over the weekend, and continuing as necessary.

"Having a daughter who recently graduated from Wilson High, I feel a personal connection to the family who lost a daughter as a result of this atrocity," DeLong said.

By mid-Saturday morning, friends and classmates had gathered at the scene and a temporary memorial of flowers, signs and balloons had begun to grow. On the nearby football field, young players were tossing around balls.

Anyone with information, video or photos involving the shooting is asked to call Long Beach Police Homicide Detectives Scott Lasch and Malcolm Evans at (562) 570-7244.

In a second incident, police were flagged down in the area of Atlantic Avenue and 4th Street at about 9:30 p.m. Friday by a person who had just been carjacked. He pointed out his vehicle, which was leaving the scene.

Officers stopped the vehicle in the area of 4th Street and Cerritos Avenue where an officer-involved shooting occurred. The suspect refused to exit the vehicle after numerous attempts were made to get him out. SWAT came to the scene and the suspect was taken into custody. He was transported to a hospital, where is being treated for his life-threatening injuries. No officers were injured.

In addition to the Long Beach Police Department's ongoing investigation, the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office is also conducting an independent investigation, which is routine for all "hit" officer involved shootings that occur in Los Angeles County.

Anyone with any information regarding this incident is urged to contact Long Beach Police Homicide Detectives Bryan McMahon and Teri Hubert at (562) 570-7244.

Press-Telegram photographer Jeff Gritchen contributed to this story.

[Caambodian-American] Wilson High School track athlete killed after football game in Long Beach

Photo: Friends and classmates mourn the death of 16-year-old track athlete Melody Ross. Credit: Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times

October 31, 2009
Los Angeles Times

Friends and family gathered today at Woodrow Wilson High School in Long Beach to mourn the death of a 16-year-old honors student and track athlete who was gunned down as she and her friends were leaving a football game the night before.

Melody Ross, a junior in advanced-placement honors and a pole vaulter on the track team, was randomly hit by gunfire that also injured two young men, police said. It is not known if the shooting was gang-related. No arrests have been made.

Ross was identified by her uncle, Sam Che, who said their family emigrated to Southern California in the mid-1980s from Cambodia. “We escaped the killing fields,” said Che, 36.

Ross was dressed as Supergirl for the homecoming game against Polytechnic High School that was attended by many other students in costume on the day before Halloween. Ross was “an innocent kid” said Mario Morales, the Wilson High football coach.

“It’s very disconcerting. I’m sick to my stomach when something like that happens and you have an innocent kid involved,” Morales said. He said he heard five to seven shots as he was leaving the stadium after his team’s loss to Poly.

[Updated at 1:30 p.m.: A homecoming dance attended by about 200 students was underway on campus when the shots were fired, said Long Beach Unified School District spokesman Chris Eftychiou. The sparsely attended event for the school with 4,500 students was locked down while police and school district security combed the campus for the perpetrators, he said.

Extra security had been brought in for the sold-out game pitting longtime rivals Wilson and Poly, said Eftychiou, adding that police told school officials they had no indications the shootings stemmed from the schools' "healthy rivalry." Poly beat Wilson in the Friday night matchup, 34-15.

Counselors will be at school Monday to talk with Ross' classmates and any other students who feel the need to talk about the incident, said Eftychiou, describing the violence as a rare occurrence even in vicinity of the suburban school.]

Ross' classmates gathered at a pedestrian crossing along Ximeno Avenue near the football stadium exit to leave flowers and light candles by the curb where she was shot. They hugged each other, and some sat against the school fence or on the grass with their heads down, pondering the loss of a friend they described as polite and well-liked. A passerby in a green Toyota truck yelled out: "Police need to do their job!"

Ross, who attended the game with her 17-year-old sister, Emily, a senior at Wilson, died at St. Mary Medical Center about half an hour after the 10 p.m. shooting. At least one bullet struck her in the side, Che said.

The young men, 18 and 20, who were struck suffered non-life-threatening injuries, said Long Beach Police spokeswoman Sgt. Dina Zapalski. Their identities were not released.

-- Ruben Vives in Long Beach, and Ben Bolch

Another cheap Khmer life; Thai embassy denying the Thai soldiers' savage killing of a Khmer citizen?

Family of a Cambodian victim of Thai soldiers shooting demands compensation

15 December 2007
By Sav Yuth
Radio Free Asia
Translated from Khmer by KI-Media

Relatives of a victim who were shot and killed by Thai black-clad soldiers recently, along the Dangrek Mountain chain, Anlong Veng district, Oddar Meanchey province, called on Cambodian government officials to help them demand monetary compensations amounting to several tens of thousands of baths for the lost of the life of their loved one and demand that Thailand guarantees the livelihood of 7 orphans who lost their father.

On Saturday 15 December, 38-year-old Ya Hoeun said that her husband was shot and killed by Thai black-clad soldiers, and that she is currently asking Cambodian officials at the border relation working group to prepare documents to negotiate and demand monetary compensations. The amount of compensation demanded has not been determined as of yet, however, Mrs. Ya Hoeun indicated that this amount could be 100,000 Thai baths, or about 10 million riels (~$2,500). “I want them (Thailand) to pay compensation regarding my husband, this could be 100,000 baths because this is so unfair,” Ya Hoeun said.

Nevertheless, the demand for compensation from the Thai soldiers remains hopeless as the Cambodian authority did not even take any measure at all in this affair.

Pech Sokhin, the Oddar Meanchye provincial governor, said on Saturday morning that provincial officials received the report of the shooting and killing already, but the provincial administration did not take any measure yet: “Not yet, we don’t know, we are researching for the cause.”

Khoeung Phea, the commander of the 403 unit protecting the border at the location of the incident, said that, up to now, he did not call the Thai side to come and negotiate about this issue yet, he only reported the incident to the regional commander and he is still awaiting a decision from this commander on what to do: “My chief went to Phnom Penh, when he will return back, he will have a plan to meet with the Thai side to resolve this incident.”

Surasak Supharat, an advisor of the Thai embassy in Cambodia, said that regarding this demand for compensation, according to the law, there must be an investigation first to see whether the Thai soldier really shot and killed a Cambodian citizen or not.

Cambodian border police officials and Khet Khen, an injured witness, claimed in the afternoon of 12 December 2007 that Thai black-clad soldiers based in Husing district, Sisaket province, Thailand, opened fire on 6 Cambodian citizens who went into a forest near the border to collect liana vines and rattan near O’Da river, about 15 kilometers to the north of the Choam Sro-ngam international border gate. The shooting led to the death of Yim Phat who was killed on the spot and Khet Khen was injured. A tractor was also burnt down by the Thai soldiers.

Thai soldier shot and killed one Cambodian citizen, wounded another along the border

Friday, December 14, 2007
Everyday.com.kh
Translated from Khmer by Socheata

Black-clad Thai border guards in Thai Sisaket province bordering Cambodia Oddar Meanchey province opened fire on 6 Cambodian citizens who were collecting lianas, rattans, and woods in a border zone where the borderline is not well defined yet, near Chroak village, Trapeang Prey commune, Anlong Veng district, Oddar meanchey province. The shooting killed one Cambodian and injured another. The Rasmei Kampuchea reported that the border guard police indicated that the firing by the Thai black-clad soldiers took place at 03:00 PM on 12 December. The Cambodian police indicated that the name of the Cambodian citizen killed in the shooting is 30-year-old Yim Phat, and the man injured during in the shooting also is 23-year-old Khem Sokhen. The other 4 villagers fled safely from the shooting. On 14 December, the Cambodian side will meet its Thai counterpart to demand an explanation for this violent attack perpetrated on Cambodian citizens.

Land disputes in Cambodia are becoming more violent

10 December 2007
By Kim Pov Sottan
Radio Free Asia
Translated from Khmer by Socheata

Human rights officials indicated that land disputes in Cambodia are becoming more violent, even though the number of disputes during this year is lower than that of last year.

Mrs. Chuon Chomrong, a land program official for the Adhoc human rights organization, said that, even though, the number of land disputes decreases, however each dispute are becoming more intense, and violence is also used, leading to death and injuries. Furthermore, the disputes are now larger in size, they involve hundreds of people in each case, and people were also evacuated from their entire villages.

Mrs. Chuon Chomrong said: “I want to say that their sizes are large and the disputes are very intense, they even led to shooting and killings because of these land disputes. Recently, we just saw the event in Preah Vihear province, where shootings and killings took place, and there were also several arrests made. Last year, there were several evictions, but the majority of them are in the cities, but now, these evictions take place in the provinces also.”

Adhoc’s past 10 months report indicated that, during last year, the number of land disputes reported to Adhoc amounted to about 400 cases, and this year, this number is only 320. Nevertheless, 2 people died, more than 10 people were injured, and 138 were jailed, even though some have been released since then and only 55 are still remaining in prison right now.

On 02 December, in a land dispute case in Battambang province involving more than 100 families from Maung district, the villagers came to Phnom Penh to protest about their land dispute with the Army chief of Military Zone 5.

43-year-old Hun Sim, a representative of the villagers, said that villagers who do not own farmlands, were authorized by the authority to clear forests covered with landmines. When they were clearing the lands, they met with all kinds of accidents (from the landmines), and they are now facing the Army chief who wants to kick them out of their villagers also.

Hun Sim said: “We struggle since the very first year, we fought malaria, we drank from small dirty ponds, because we didn’t have anything, we endured everything from sleeping with mosquito bites, living in the forests, under hardship. Our children lived like monkeys, they have no school to attend, there is no water wells, no roads. The entrance road was 3-kilometer long, to reach that area, you have to cross muddy areas, and the mud come up all the way to your thigh. After all these struggles, when our crops start to bear fruits, they (Army chief) said that the lands belong to them. The villagers are so disappointed.”

Mrs. Chuon Chomrong claimed that the majority of land disputes in Cambodia are usually pitting hundreds of families and the army chief, or the villagers and the authority, or with salesmen. The regions where the disputes are more intense and which led to eviction of the villagers are in the following provinces: Kampot, Siem Reap, Kampong Thom, Battambang, Preah Vihear and Banteay Meanchey.

SRP MP Eng Chhay Eang, who is also a member of the National Authority for the Resolution of Land Disputes (NARLD), blames land disputes in Cambodia on the weak application of the law. Rich and powerful people use the law to violate the people, and this issue will become even bigger if all of these activities still continue.

Eang Chhay Eang said: “If we don’t strengthen the application of the law, land disputes cases will not end, and they will grow even bigger because of the land price increases. This makes the rich and powerful even greedier, they want theses lands even more.”

These criticisms were rejected by Hun Sen who said that they are not true.

Hun Sen, who in the past recognized that land disputes in Cambodia are worsening and are cause of concerns as they can lead to a farmer revolution, during a seminar on international commerce on 04 December, took the opposite position by claiming that land disputes stem from the population increase instead.

Hun Sen said: “These problems are real, but the lack of lands stem from the population explosion. Those who came to Cambodia 29-year ago, Phnom Penh city under the genocidal regime were devoid of people, Phnom Penh was completely empty.”

Chum Bunrong, the NARLD secretary-general, indicated that, since 2001 until now, more than 4,000 land dispute cases were resolved, and there are only about 200 cases remaining to be resolved.

Chum Bunrong said: “Those who complained about land dispute, we resolve the issue for them, one after another. Now, we can say that there are 600-700 cases left only, because of the more than 2,000 cases, some of them could not be considered as actual complains, they were request for intervention, for issuing land titles and such. The actual number of disputes are not very larger, about 400-500 only. Therefore, our government is working hard to continuously resolve these issues, there is not a single day that goes by, that we do not resolve them.”

The NARLD indicated that about 200,000-hectare of lands were taken back as state properties, and 400 cases were resolved in the past year. These resolutions were conducted through the land management department, the local authorities, the tribunal, and the NARLD as the last resort.

Even though the NARLD claimed that they are resolving these land dispute cases, human rights officials indicated that the way these resolutions are brought forth were very complicated and they came too late. The population no longer trusts that their problems could be resolve, and this could lead to the use of more violence in the future.

Thai soldiers shot and killed one Cambodian, injured 2

07 October 2007
By Lim Pisidh
Radio Free Asia
Translated from Khmer by Socheata

According to people living in Svay Chek district, and Oddar Meanchey provincial police, at least one Cambodian citizen was killed and two were seriously injured after they were shot by the Thai black-clad soldiers in Thailand.

A source indicated that the shooting took place at 11:00 PM on 03 October, when a group of 7 Cambodian tried to cross the border illegally into Thailand’s Sakeaw province, in order to smuggle cars back to sell in Cambodia.

The anonymous source said: “They took people to buy cars from Thailand, when they were about 200-meter (from the Cambodian border?), the Thai soldiers … were waiting to shoot them.”

The same source indicated that after the shooting by the Thai border soldiers based in that area, the group of 6 Cambodians, including two who were injured, started to run in every direction to return back to Cambodia. They left behind the body of 48-year-old Kom, the dead man. “Yes, we lost him (Kom), it’s already this late and the body cannot be found yet,” the source said.

Chan Kosal, the deputy commissioner of Banteay Meanchey province, said that the shooting took place inside Thailand, about 3-kilometer from the border. He added that the illegal border crossing into Thailand by Cambodian people, is usually done along corridors, located between the Chamcar Kor gate in Svay Chek district, and the O’Bey Choan gate in O’Chrov district.

Chan Kosal said: “We called in Chum Chhat and Duch Rin in for questioning. According to the information provided by the culprits who are also victims, based on all the information, they said that (one of the smugglers) was shot and killed.”

According to Cambodian police, the majority of the 7 Cambodians who illegally crossed into Thailand, live in Domnak Ko-koh village, Svay Chek commune, Svay Chek district. The 7 are: 31-year-old Chum Chhat, 42-year-old Duch Rin, 31-year-old Dos, 28-year-old Loeung, 31-year-old Kom who shot and killed by the Thai soldiers, and 36-year-old Choeuy from Kok Prech village, Kok Romiest commune, Thmar Puok district.

Currently, the police is investigation the case, and is cooperating in order to find the body of the Cambodian citizen who was shot and killed.