Cambodia's hostage-taking is revenge attack, police

The hostage incident happened in the town of Siem Reap city was a revenge attack, police said on Friday.

"It was revenge," said Ou Em, head of criminal police division in Siem Reap.

He said that the alleged ringleader Chea Sokhon, 23-year-old, confessed during inquesting that he wants to kill two children of his former South Korean boss who attack him.

Chea Sokhon worked as a driver for the two children of the Arirang Restaurateur in Siem Reap. Chea said that about two months ago, the boss slapped his face twice for his late, he then had a grudge against him and plan to revenge.

He returned hometown near Phnom Penh on June 11 and bought a pistol, then called his three friends returned to Siem Reap on Wednesday.

The four, with face masked, entered the international school and rushed to a classroom on Thursday attempting to find the two South Korean children and kill them. But they did not see them due to the two were in another building.

They initially took about 70 students and teachers as hostage when they got panicky after the police arrived and sieged the school. About 30 students were released later, leaving some 30 still at their hand.

After about six-hour standoff, the four, all Cambodians in their 20s, were arrested by police at about 3:00 p.m. but a two- year-old Canadian boy was killed by the bandits.

A fifth man was arrested on Thursday evening but he denied he involved the hostage incident.

Ou Em said police plan to charge the suspects with three crime as "illegal detention of persons, kidnapping for ransom and deliberate killing people."

According to a eyewitness, the children were aged between two and six and were from more than dozen foreign countries and region, including Australia, Japan, Canada and Chinese Taiwan. They were the children of foreigners working in the tourism city of Siem Reap.

Siem Reap, located more than 300 km northwestern of Phnom Penh, is home of world famous Angkor Wat temples.

It was learned that such hostage-taking incident was uncommon in Cambodia.

Experts from Doctors without Borders and international groups, as well as Cambodia's social volunteers will offer psychological service for those children survived hostage incident.

A counseling center was set up at a restaurant in Siem Reap on Friday. "Offering such service early will help children to overcome psychological problems," a doctor said.

Source: Xinhua