A 66-year-old man in Prey Veng province committed suicide on Tuesday by setting himself on fire after an apparent attempt to kill his wife, according to a local police official.
Prum Phlong struck his wife, Marn Nguon, 65, on the side of her head with the butt of an ax before proceeding to self-immolate, said Seng Ponlak, chief of police in Peamro district.
Mr. Ponlak said the couple’s adult children, who lived with them, later told police that their parents did not argue often, but that their had father made an offhanded threat to kill his wife a few days before the attack.
“The children saw the blaze in a closed room in the house, then they pushed the door down and saw that their mother had lost consciousness and their father was dead in the fire,” he said.
Mr. Ponlak said the children did not know what prompted the attack and did not question their father when he threatened their mother.
“I don’t know the reason for the suicide of the man, but we concluded that the man was probably grieving for the violence he committed against his wife and thought that his wife was already dead,” he said.
