Two businessmen from Thailand were executed in their hotel room in Koh Kong Tuesday night, after a dispute involving either business or women, officials there said Wednesday afternoon.
Somporn Inthanon, 43, and Manoon Booklong, 35, were shot at roughly 11:30 pm Tuesday in their room at the International Resort Hotel.
The two Thai nationals were in the company of prostitutes at the time of their murder, police officials said.
Inthanon was the casino’s manager and an investor and Booklong was his assistant, said Chan Sokreang, deputy director of local police.
“We could only find that the killers used short guns, K54s and K59s, to attack the two. Both were shot in the head,” said Koh Kong Governor Yuth Phouthang.
“We are still investigating. It is too early to draw conclusions,” he added.
The two died after being evacuated to a hospital in Trat, Thailand, Yuth Phouthang said.
Chan Sokreang said that police found empty beer cans and several pairs of shoes in the room after the killing, implying that others were in the room, that a dispute erupted into violence, and possible suspects fled the scene.
“We therefore conclude the motive was either linked to women or a personal business dispute,” Chan Sokreang said.
“Up to this time, we cannot say whether the killers are Thai or Khmer,” he said.
“When our police reached the site, we found the wounded were already sent to Thai soil. We could not follow them as we have no right to enter Thai soil,” Chan Sokreang explained.
Located in the Gulf of Thailand and just a short boat ride from the Thai mainland, Koh Kong has boomed as a popular destination for Thais attracted by Cambodia’s lax laws on gambling and duty-free shopping. (Additional reporting by Agence-France Presse)
