A 40-year-old woman is in critical condition after she and her teenage son were doused with acid at their home in Siem Reap City late Wednesday night, the second such attack to occur in the country within a week, police said.
Yi Aun and her 19-year-old son, Noun Chivan, were asked to open the door of their roadside home in Siem Reap City’s Sala Kamroeuk commune by two men asking to buy some dried goods from their shop, the city’s deputy police chief Mak Sam Aun said.
When they opened the door, one of the men threw acid, severely burning Ms. Aun’s face and upper body and splashing the back of Mr. Chivan.
“The mother was attacked on her face and other parts of her body. Her condition is not good and she cannot speak a word,” Mr. Sam Aun said.
He added that both victims are currently receiving treatment at the provincial hospital, and that police have no leads into the possible perpetrators, as Ms. Aun was still in a critical condition and not able to speak.
The latest attack in Siem Reap marks the eighth and ninth victims of acid crimes reported so far this year.
On Saturday, a 19-year-old woman, Kruy Aing Chheng, died in Sihanoukville after she was attacked with strong acid and swallowed large amounts of the liquid, causing severe damage to her respiratory system, according to the health officials.
Police say they have identified a 22-year-old suspect in Battambang province, but no arrest has yet been made.
Battambang’s deputy provincial police chief Chet Vanny said that police were still looking for the suspect in Kors Kralor district.
The spate of recent attacks comes despite the government adopting a law on acid crimes in December 2011. The courts have yet to try anyone under the new law.
