The Ministry of Interior and National Military Police are investigating Pailin Provincial Police Chief Seng Sokun and his department for allegedly falsifying an autopsy report and releasing suspects in the death of a Chinese man. The revelations come from previously undisclosed reports shared by a prominent Facebook commentator with a history of incendiary remarks.
On October 9, the Pailin Provincial Police issued a statement responding to a report from Pheng Vannak News, a media channel founded by Pheng Vannak, a licensed media publisher who previously threatened to kill a local journalist. The report concerned the release of individuals connected to the death of the Chinese national. The statement confirmed that the police questioned a Chinese national and his Cambodian driver – both unnamed – but did not formally identify them as suspects and later released them under the authority of Sokun.
According to Pheng Vannak News, discrepancies have emerged between the police department’s public statement and the initial report submitted to the prosecutor in August. The report initially claimed that Zhou Chunhua, the deceased, had “fallen from a chair and later died,” whereas the recent statement confirms that Zhou actually died after being tortured.
In the now disputed police report, filed by Sokun to the provincial prosecutor, Zhou was reported to have visited the “Crown” casino in Sala Krao district on August 17 to meet an individual named Yan Chan and seek employment. Yan told Zhou to wait for approval from his boss, and while waiting, Zhou allegedly fell from his chair, suffering a fatal head injury. Chan then reportedly called a driver to take Zhou to the hospital, but he died en route.
“In this case, the police followed the procedures without negligence,” the department wrote in its public statement, dismissing claims of potential misconduct in their handling of the investigation.
Ministry of Interior spokesperson Touch Sokhak stated that experts from the National Police have been assigned to review the case’s forensic investigation but no new information has emerged thus far.
Eng Hy, a spokesperson for the military police, posted on his Facebook page that two days before Zhou’s death on August 15, Zhou was brought to the station by “a casino boss” who wanted to file a complaint against him for allegedly stealing money. However, without an interpreter, the military police could not understand the details and detained Zhou overnight.
The next day, with the help of an interpreter, it was clarified that the issue was not theft but a debt, a civil matter, according to Hy. The military police then contacted the casino to have Zhou taken back. Hy did not specify whether Zhou appeared to be in debt bondage or forced labor.
Hy asserted that upon arrival at the Pailin military police station Zhou was unharmed.
Sokun declined to comment on the matter. When contacted, Heng Thai Pheng, Deputy Provincial Prosecutor of Pailin province, stated only that “the case is currently under review.”
Am Sam Ath, operations director of the local rights group Licadho, told CamboJA News the authorities should conduct a thorough investigation and gather clear evidence before releasing a public report, as the case appears to potentially involve human trafficking and forced labor.
“Before reporting any deaths – whether murder or suicide or death or any other cause – there must be evidence as well as a thorough forensic examination to make a transparent report,” he said.
Zhou is not the first Chinese national to die in a Pailin casino this year, nor the first to succumb to injuries from torture.
According to the Cyber Scam Monitor, a publication that tracks online scam and gambling operations in Southeast Asia, two other Chinese nationals died under suspicious circumstances in Pailin casinos in 2024.
In June, Xu Xiankuai, 39, a casino worker in Pailin, was found dead in a dormitory, with police attributing his death to a heart attack. In August, Hong Qing, 46, died from injuries sustained during torture while working at another Pailin casino and it remains unclear if anyone was arrested in connection with his death.
Additional Reporting Pou Soreachny
