ansaong village, Prey Veng province – Police are seeking a man in connection with last week’s murder near here of a woman married to a district-level Funcinpec official.
Police say they want to speak with the son-in-law of Neang Mom Yeng, who was taken from her house by unidentified men and shot dead June 14 at Chheuteal village, located roughly 7 km southeast of here.
The son-in-law will be questioned about an alleged family dispute that led to threats against the victim in the days before her murder, authorities said. They said the suspect is believed to be living in Phnom Penh as a squatter.
Funcinpec officials have charged that the murder of Neang Mom Yeng, 39, was carried out by supporters of a rival political party and was meant to intimidate Funcinpec grassroots supporters in the run-up to next month’s elections. Chheuteal village is 70 km southeast of Phnom Penh.
Ros Vanna, chief of criminal investigation for Prey Veng province, said here Wednesday that the son-in-law told family members he would kill Neang Mom Yeng if she refused to speak with him. Neang Mom Yeang opposed a living arrangement that would have allowed her son-in-law’s mistress to move in with him and his wife, Ros Vanna said.
Kompong Trabek district was the scene of a second June 14 execution-style killing that human rights groups also initially have labeled politically motivated.
Phun Phoun, 32, was shot dead here in Ansaong village. He was identified as a Funcinpec member who had last month shifted allegiances to the Reastr Niyum party of First Prime Minister Ung Huot. Police are alleging that revenge over a long-running family dispute was behind the murder of Phun Phoun.
Neighbors interviewed by the local human rights group Adhoc reported that Neang Mom Yeng did not appear to have any conflicts with anybody. The rights group in a preliminary report said it believed the killing to be politically motivated.
