City Restricts Sale of Acid

Phnom Penh municipality is restricting the sale of acid by requiring vendors to compile detailed invoices of purchases, among other measures.

Acid sellers will have to be licensed by the Ministry of Industry and will be required to put battery acid directly into battery cells and not in separate bottles, municipal deputy governor Seng Tong said Wednesday.

Buyers of nitric acid will also have to prove they are buying the product for professional use, such as jewelry making.

There has been a rash of acid attacks since December, when a 16-year-old karaoke singer was doused with acid allegedly by the jealous wife of Svay Sitha, undersecretary of state at the Council of Ministers.

Early last Sunday, 18-year-old Chin Sophy was doused with acid as she was leaving her home, said Ouch Thorn, Don Penh’s deputy penal police chief.

Ouch Thorn said police have arrested Duong Sophan, who he identified as the wife of Chin Sophy’s boyfriend, and that Chin Sophy is being treated for burns on her face, chest and thighs.

 

 

 

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