Officials: Karaoke Star a No-Show in Crash Talks

Karaoke video star Vang Sreyno, 24, failed to present herself at muni­ci­pal military police headquarters Thursday to negotiate a settlement with officials after her car crashed into a Phnom Penh monument in the early hours of Tuesday morning, officials said.

Deputy municipal military police chief Pol Davy said a representative for the singer called to say that she would attend the meeting, but she didn’t show.

“Vang Sreyno…didn’t show her face at the military police station, so now we are waiting on her to negotiate her case,” he said.

In the early hours of Tuesday morning, Vang Sreyno’s Toyota Camry crashed into the city’s re­cently inaugurated monument to revered Buddhist scholar Chuon Nath, which is located in a Daun Penh district traffic circle near Hun Sen Park.

The vehicle’s impact cracked off the head of a concrete lion and damaged a Naga statue.

The car, which was abandoned at the scene by the driver and occupants, has been impounded by military police.

Police said the occupants, who were reportedly partying earlier in the night at a karaoke parlor, had been seen fleeing to another vehicle immediately after the accident.

Municipal police chief Touch Naruth said Thursday he first un­derstood the municipality was only seeking $6,000 for repairs to the monument, but that he had subsequently been told by Phnom Penh Governor Kep Chuktema that police were to forward the singer’s case to prosecutors.

“But this case is being handled by the military police,” he added.

Pol Davy, however, said the military police were not prosecuting Vang Sreyno because Kep Chuk­tema had in fact asked that the star apologize and negotiate a settlement.

“In this case, there is no reason to send her case to court because city Governor Kep Chuktema wants her to write a letter of apology and solve her problems by repairing the statue,” he said.

Kep Chuktema could not be reached for comment.

Municipal Deputy Governor Pa Socheatavong referred questions to municipal cabinet chief Nuon Sam­eth, who said he was too busy to talk.

Vang Sreyno could not be reach­ed for comment.

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