Man charged with embassy arson

The Phnom Penh Municipal Court yesterday charged a Vietnamese national with causing intentional damage after he threw a flaming package at the Japanese embassy in Phnom Penh on Monday in hopes of being sent to Japanese prison, said Major General Chhay Sinarith, director of the Ministry of Interior’s Internal Security Department.

According to Sinarith, Daing Futok, 22, told officers that he wanted to live in Japan but didn’t know how to get there. Ultimately, he settled on committing a crime at the Japanese embassy, thinking he would be arrested and imprisoned in Japan and then allowed to stay upon his release.

“This is not a terrorist activity, and the Japanese embassy did not file a complaint about this,” said Sinarith. “He didn’t dare to do it in Vietnam, so he crossed the border to do it in Cambodia.”

Sinarith said Futok had set a package of clothing on fire and threw it at the embassy but failed to get it over the wall.

He could face between six months and two years in jail, and a fine of $250 to $1,000.

Contact author: Cheang Sokha

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