Two men accused of chasing another man with samurai swords early Tuesday morning, leading to his death by drowning, were charged with aggravated assault by the Siem Reap Provincial Court on Saturday, according to an official.
Seven suspects chased Sok Chamroeun and five of his friends through Siem Reap City shortly after midnight on Tuesday over a dispute that had broken out earlier in the evening, said Duong Sokha, chief of the provincial police’s serious crimes bureau.
“The unarmed group escaped by crossing the small river, but after getting out of the water, Sok Chamroeun had disappeared,” Mr. Sokha said.
Locals found his body in the Siem Reap River on Thursday, he said, adding that six Cambodian men and one woman were arrested as suspects in the following days.
Mr. Sokha said that he did not know the nature of the dispute and would not say how the suspects had been identified.
“Two perpetrators, Ourn Phanith, 22, and Leap Ning, 21, were charged with the aggravated assault that led to the victim’s death and have been temporarily jailed,” he said. “The five others were sent to a rehabilitation center due to positive illegal drug tests.”
