Two men were seriously injured in an attack by a gang armed with samurai-style swords in Phnom Penh’s Tuol Kork district on Wednesday night, a police official said Thursday.
Chhun Kimhan, deputy police chief of Toek La’ak III commune, said the attack was prompted by an exchange between the suspects and victims about a month ago during which the two sides had made rude facial expressions at each other.
Mr. Kimhan said that at about 9:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Oun Moneasreyrak, 21, and Oeun Chan, 30, were riding on a single motorbike when between six and nine “gangsters” happened upon them on Street 186 and gave chase.
“The victims tried to drive their motorbike to escape from the gangsters,” he said. “The victims drove so fast that they hit another motorbike and fell to the ground. Then the group of gangsters… arrived and started to slash at the victims.”
Mr. Kimhan said police were able to arrest just one of the suspects following the attack: Ouk Sovutey, 22. However, the young man had given up the names of his accomplices, he said.
“We will arrest the others and they will face the law,” Mr. Kimhan said. “I have filed a report about the suspect we arrested.”
At Calmette Hospital on Thursday, bandages covered Mr. Moneasreyrak’s head and he was unable to speak.
His mother, Phok Chantol, said she did not know why her son had been targeted.
“This was a very brutal attack,” she said. “A big group of gangsters slashed my son and his friend with samurai swords. Their purpose was not to scare—it was to kill.”
