A 49-year-old man was attacked with an ax and killed by his teenage neighbor on Wednesday over a dispute about the boundary between their land in Kompong Speu province’s Phnom Sruoch district, local police said.
The suspect, Meas Vorn, 19, is currently at large after murdering Leang Vancheang by hacking him three times on the back of the neck with an ax, according to Treng Trayoeng commune police chief Prak Bunlai.
“The reason behind the murder was because…the victim planted a banana on a small expanse of land along the border between the two men’s property, which caused a land dispute when the suspect claimed the land belonged to him,” Mr. Bunlai said.
While the two men were arguing over the land, Mr. Vorn set upon the victim with the ax.
The family of Leang Vancheang rushed him to Preah Kossamak hospital in Phnom Penh after he was attacked, but he died en route, the police chief added.
“The suspect escaped after attacking and seriously injuring his neighbor,” he said. “We are currently seeking to arrest him.”
