Police in Oddar Meanchey province said Sunday that they are searching for a man suspected of murdering his co-worker with a machete on Saturday after a night of drinking at a rubber plantation where they were both employed.
Trapaing Prasat district police chief In Kay said the suspect, Veng Paly, 20, struck the victim, Touch Chet, 36, on the temple, foot and arm with a machete about 10 meters from where they had been drinking.
“The perpetrator and the victim had a drinking party with other workers and the perpetrator got up and left earlier and waited for the victim,” said deputy provincial police chief Lek Sokha, adding that the two had been arguing because Mr. Paly owed Touch Chet money.
“When the victim drove his bike off…he attacked the victim repeatedly and [the victim] died at the scene.”
Mr. Sokha said the men had also quarreled a few days earlier over about $15 that Touch Chet demanded from Mr. Paly as compensation for fishing equipment he had damaged.
“It is a premeditated murder and now we ask for cooperation from other provinces’ authority to arrest the suspect,” he said.
