Paratrooper Plugs Phnom Penh Neighbour

Enraged by a rude gesture, Khon Sokheng put a bullet in the neck of his neighbour An Bory and then scarpered on his Honda Scoopy. An Bory remains in a serious condition in a Phnom Penh hospital.

Local police are, they claim, looking for Khon Sokheng, but just how dedicated they are to his pursuit is of concern.

Royal Cambodian Armed Forces: Not afraid
 to put the boot in

For the shooter is an officer with the Royal Cambodian Armed Force's paratrooper unit, Brigade 911, and some in the Cambodian Armed Forces have a history of unpunished thuggish behaviour.

Making it even less likely that justice will be served is that Brigade 911 appears to be rotten from the top down; it was named in Human Rights Watch 2010 report as allegedly having a history of carrying out violent attacks and executions.

Worse the Commander of Brigade 911 is none other than Chap Pheakedei. He was implicated in the detainment, torture and disappearance of a number of soldiers loyal to the FUNCIPEC party during the time of the 1997 coup.

Despite this, and numerous other accusations of evil, Chap Pheakedei was promoted by Hun Sen to the rank of general.

"He is considered one of Hun Sen’s most loyal commanders and is a member of the CPP Central Committee," Human Rights Watch state in their report.

Loyal? No doubt, he is. But someone who should be the leader of, and an example to, armed men, he certainly is not.

Which brings us back to Khon Sokheng; with a boss and a unit that has acted with impunity it's little wonder the lower ranks also believe that they can do whatever the hell they like.