Cambodia - Crime in Cambodia

There are frequent armed thefts of vehicles, armed extortion attempts and numerous incidents of petty crimes, such as those from hotel rooms and purse snatching. Automatic weapons abound in Cambodia, and are possessed and used by numerous citizens, even within Phnom Penh. In one summer month, 75 cases of robbery were reported in Phon Penh, 69 resulting in the death of the victim. In 1997 there were 700 crime-related deaths in Phon Penh, 2,100 for the entire country.

The Khmer Rouge does not have a retirement plan, so many former KR guerrillas are roaming the country with their weapons looking for spare change. An Aussie expat told an Outside Magazine journalist, who was in Phnom Penh doing a story with DP contributor Wink Dulles in late 1998, the best way to survive an armed robbery: "Immediately lie down on the ground. Put your hands on the back of your head, and don't say anything or look at them. You speak, wham, they hit you in the head with a pistol, mate. And they really don't like you looking at them. Mostly, it's police officers that are robbing you, so they don't want to be seen. Just keep your head down, don't speak, and let them take whatever they want. Mostly, they're not bad blokesÑthey usually leave you a thousand riel to get home." In other instances, foreigners are the victims of teenaged bong thom (big brother) gangs.