Logo of Phnom Penh Post newspaper Phnom Penh Post - Sihanoukville police get tough on gun dealers

Sihanoukville police get tough on gun dealers

Content image - Phnom Penh Post
Preah Sihanouk provincial police chief Major General Chuon Narin (centre) during the press conference on June 25. POLICE

Sihanoukville police get tough on gun dealers

The operation to crack down on illegal weapons in Preah Sihanouk province that began on June 15 has so far resulted in the arrest of six suspects and the seizure of 42 weapons, according to provincial police chief Major General Chuon Narin.

Narin told The Post on June 26 that police had confiscated two semi-automatic rifles, nine semi-automatic handguns and 31 homemade firearms – three rifles and 28 handguns – that used either live ammunition or rubber bullets.

He added that police had also seized two machines for producing bullets and many other weapons aside from guns.

He confirmed that the weapons were confiscated when the police conducted a raid on June 15 in Sihanoukville’s Commune IV and arrested six suspects who fired two shots at officers during the operation, one of which caused serious injury to the right leg of the Sihanoukville police chief.

"We will crack down on those who buy and sell weapons illegally, those who distribute and store illegal weapons and we will crack down on those who bring guns from [other] countries,” he said.

Content image - Phnom Penh Post
Preah Sihanouk provincial police chief Major General Chuon Narin (centre) during the press conference on June 25. POLICE

He said the six suspects arrested on June 15 had a well-coordinated network. One was distributing rubber bullets and .380 calibre live ammunition and another had a complete set of tools to repair and modify guns. Cambodian law stipulates that only those who are licensed and registered with the authorities are permitted to be gunsmiths.

“We normally do not release this kind of information about planned crackdowns because the security of our operations can be comprised by leaking such details and it poses a danger to the lives of our officers. And if the suspects are made aware of our intentions, they will escape," he said during a press conference on June 25.

According to a report by the National Police, the suspect who fired the shots during the raid was a 30-year-old Vietnamese man named Huynh Minh Nhat.

Also arrested was his wife, a 24-year-old Vietnamese woman named Bui Quyng Thien, along with a third Vietnamese national, Dinh Thanh Xuyen, 25.

The other three suspects arrested were Cambodians: Bun Ratana, Yin Thara and Chhun Tith Bora, all of whom stand accused of dealing arms.

MOST VIEWED

  • Wing Bank opens new branch in front of Orkide The Royal along Street 2004

    Wing Bank celebrates first anniversary as commercial bank with launch of brand-new branch. One year since officially launching with a commercial banking licence, Wing Bank on March 14 launched a new branch in front of Orkide The Royal along Street 2004. The launch was presided over by

  • Girl from Stung Meanchey dump now college grad living in Australia

    After finishing her foundational studies at Trinity College and earning a Bachelor’s degree from the University of Melbourne in 2022, Ron Sophy, a girl who once lived at the Stung Meanchey garbage dump and scavenged for things to sell, is now working at a private

  • Ministry using ChatGPT AI to ‘ease workload’; Khmer version planned

    The Digital Government Committee is planning to make a Khmer language version of popular artificial intelligence (AI) technology ChatGPT available to the public in the near future, following extensive testing. On March 9, the Ministry of Post and Telecommunications revealed that it has been using the

  • Wat Phnom hornbills attract tourists, locals

    Thanks to the arrival of a friendly flock of great hornbills, Hour Rithy, a former aviculturist – or raiser of birds – in Kratie province turned Phnom Penh tuk tuk driver, has seen a partial return to his former profession. He has become something of a guide

  • PM urges end to ‘baseless’ international Ream base accusations

    Prime Minister Hun Sen urges an end to “baseless” foreign accusations surrounding the development of the Kingdom’s Ream Naval Base, as the US has consistently suggested that the base is being expanded to accommodate a Chinese military presence. Hun Sen renewed his calls while

  • Almost 9K tourists see equinox sunrise at Angkor Wat

    Nearly 9,000 visitors – including 2,226 international tourists – gathered at Angkor Wat on March 21 to view the spring equinox sunrise, according to a senior official of the Siem Reap provinical tourism department. Ngov Seng Kak, director of the department, said a total of 8,726 people visited Angkor Wat to