A journalist at Khmer-language weekly newspaper Sakal has filed a complaint with Phnom Penh municipal police claiming a man who objected to one of his stories tried to hit him with a car.
Khuon Play Vy said Tuesday that he received an anonymous phone call from a man on Friday morning regarding an article he had written about powerful people being behind an illegal gambling operation in Chamkar Mon district.
At around 8:45 that evening, Khuon Play Vy said a white Toyota Camry swiped the side of his motorbike on Street 271, causing him to fall off and injure himself.
“After he hit me, the car didn’t stop but drove away,” he said, adding that he suspects it was the person on the phone.
Khuon Play Vy filed a complaint with municipal police on Monday saying the driver of the car tried to kill him.
Municipal traffic police chief Tin Prasoer said Tuesday he was unaware of the case, but said the car’s license plate should help the investigation move along more quickly.
The Southeast Asian Press Alliance issued a statement Tuesday saying the “apparent attack” merited serious attention. SEAPA’s partner, the Cambodian Association for the Protection of Journalists, added in the statement: “The perpetrator of this crime must not escape justice.”
