In Cambodia’s fourth deliberate grenade blast in the last month, eight people were injured in a grenade attack Tuesday night on a karaoke shop in Phnom Penh, police said.
The attack, described by police as a personal dispute, has raised concern over the government’s ability to reduce crime by cracking down on illegal weapons.
Attacks were also reported over the weekend in Battambang and Pursat provinces.
Although the government has confiscated thousands of guns, an unfortunate by-product of this policy may be the increased use of cheaper, more destructive grenades, a Western weapons expert said Wednesday.
Another critic said the entire process of disarmament needs to be better coordinated.
Thun Saray, president of local human rights group Adhoc, said the government’s weapons crackdown must be reinforced with better police work and improved law enforcement procedures.
“Small arms reduction must go hand in hand with building an effective police force,” Thun Saray said, noting that the government’s program banning weapon does not address how to remove them from the hands of criminals.
Municipal officials defended their policies, noting that Phnom Penh has enjoyed a nearly one-year lull in grenade attacks.
Phnom Penh Police Chief Soun Chhengly maintained Wednesday that hundreds of grenades have been confiscated during weapons crackdowns and handed over to the Cambodian Mine Action Center for destruction.
Phnom Penh Governor Chea Sophara said Wednesday that weapons checks will continue in the city. At least one such checkpoint reportedly was in operation near the scene of Tuesday night’s blast.
The Tuesday blast on the karaoke shop in Phnom Penh’s Chamkar Mon district was described by Municipal Judicial Police Chief Khoun Sophon as the result of a personal dispute and seriously injured six people.
In Battambang town on Monday, one police officer died and 10 other people were injured when a grenade exploded in a night club, the Associated Press reported Wednesday.
On Friday night, three young girls and a woman died when a grenade was lobbed into a packed house in Krakor district, Pursat province, provincial Deputy Police Chief Prach Rim said Tuesday.
Cattle thieves are suspected of throwing the grenade that killed them, he said. The thieves allegedly vowed revenge against the owner of the house for a complaint lodged with police two months ago, Prach Rim said.
On July 10, Two people died, one a 15-year-old boy, and 15 others were injured when a suspected grenade exploded July 10 outside a karaoke shop in the Tuol Kok dam area of Phnom Penh.
Tim Prosar, Russei Keo district police chief, said Tuesday authorities have identified the two men who dropped the explosive from a passing motorcycle and are close to making arrests.
(Additional reporting Ham Samnang and Phann Ana)
