Vietnamese man clubbed to death in Phnom Penh

Vietnamese man clubbed to death in Phnom Penh An overseas Vietnamese man was beaten to death by a mob in Phnom Penh last weekend after a confrontation erupted at the scene of a traffic accident, according to The Phnom Penh Post .

Counselor Vu Le Ha from the Vietnamese embassy in Cambodia confirmed this case with Tuoi Tre by phone on Tuesday, adding that the victim is 30-year-old Vietnamese-Cambodian Tran Viet Chien.

Ha said the violent fight erupted after Chien crashed his motorcycle into a car and later a motorcycle from behind on a street in Meanchey district when he was driving under the influence of alcohol on February 15.

The Vietnamese embassy has asked authorities in Phnom Penh to carry out a full probe into this case and to bring the offenders to justice. The embassy has also called on the Vietnamese community in Cambodia to support the victim.

According to Phnom Penh Post, Chien was killed in the fight between a group of his friends and their families along with Cambodian bystanders. Chien was born in Cambodia and spoke fluent Khmer, like his mother and father.

“When [his] friends and family arrived, they all seemed very angry already … and then later, I saw them fighting [with the Khmers], but I don’t know who started it first. But the fighting escalated when a few guys started shouting that ‘yuon were fighting Khmer’,” The Phnom Penh Post quoted of Ke Yat, a 72-year-old street vendor who observed the incident unfold.

‘Youn’ is a term referring to Vietnamese people considered derogatory by many.

“Then people came from all directions and started chasing them, and I heard that a Vietnamese had been killed” – Yat added.

Men Heng Tith, Meanchey district deputy police chief, said that more than 10 people were seen attacking the victim. Local authorities have arrested Von Chanvutha on suspicion of shouting “‘yuon were fighting Khmer’.

Neth, who is an ethnic Khmer and heavily pregnant with the couple’s first baby, was mourning Van Chien‘s loss yesterday.

“Even though he is [ethnically] Vietnamese, he only has one life as a human. Just like Cambodians.… But unlike a human, he [was killed] like an animal,” Neth, a 8-month pregnant Khmer woman, said of her husband Chien.

“I need him to survive at least to see his child’s face because I’ve got one month left to give birth” – Neth sobbed.

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