Two Taiwanese nationals were arrested following gunshots at a Sihanoukville compound, as a village chief named the premises as part of the “Lixin” group chaired by Prime Minister Hun Sen’s nephew Hun To.
Authorities also offered a reward for information on seven other foreign nationals being sought for confinement and other crimes in the coastal city.
Preah Sihanouk provincial administration spokesperson Kheang Phearum said on Friday police had found two handguns, 41 bullets, two pairs of handcuffs, one scale and three small packets of suspected drugs during the arrests of the two Taiwanese nationals in Bei commune’s Muoy village on October 24.
Village chief Puth Saran said on Friday that the arrests came after residents heard several gunshots from the Lixin compound in his village. “People reported to the police and they came to arrest them.”
The village had seen previous instances of gun violence, including one death, though many foreign nationals had left the area since the recent police raids on scam compounds, Saran said.
“The ones who didn’t have documentation or passports or permits escaped ahead of authorities, while those who stood to lose their businesses also left Sihanoukville,” he said.
The provincial administration also issued a statement on Friday offering rewards for information about seven Chinese nationals suspected of intimidation, causing chaos and committing other crimes in the city.
Phearum, the provincial spokesperson, said police were hunting for the suspects, adding that one of the men was suspected of confining people.
“In case brothers and sisters have seen them, they can report to the authorities,” he said.
