Cambodian man gets 31 years in jail for gunning down young couple over petty dispute
Businessman Srey Sina was also ordered to pay more than US$2 million in compensation to Long Lysong and Khin Kanchana’s families
The Phnom Penh Municipal Court said the sentence was the maximum for the crimes committed by Srey Sina, who was also ordered to pay more than US$2 million in compensation to the victims’ families.
Srey Sina, 51, was found guilty of fatally shooting 27-year-old Long Lysong and his fiancée Khin Kanchana, 25, on June 17 while intervening in a property dispute between neighbours in the capital, Phnom Penh. Two other victims in their early 20s sustained minor injuries in the incident, which was captured on video surveillance cameras and the footage circulated widely online.
Srey Sina reportedly told police that he was angered by Long Lysong speaking rudely to him.
The case attracted widespread attention not only because of the seemingly unprovoked killing of a soon-to-be married couple and the petty dispute that sparked it, but also because the suspect held the title of Oknha, an honorific bestowed on businesspeople who donate large sums of money to the government.
Srey Sina, whose trial was held on December 6, was sentenced to 15 years in prison for the two killings and ordered to pay compensation of US$1 million each to the victims’ families. Cambodia does not have capital punishment.
