Beijing urges Cambodia to ‘severely punish' perpetrators after killings of two Chinese nationals
In an embassy statement released on Monday (Aug 4), Chinese officials said the incidents had occurred separately in the Cambodian capital of Phnom Penh and the surrounding Kandal province.
Both victims, a 43-year-old woman surnamed Zhang and a 39-year-old man surnamed Dong, had been staying at a hotel in the coastal city of Sihanoukville, according to Cambodian media reports.
After days of searching, police discovered the victims' bodies in a river in Kandal province on Jul 23.
Forensic examinations confirmed that both victims were killed before their bodies had been dumped into the river.
Cambodian police have also arrested seven Chinese suspects in connection with the case, local media reports said.
Three suspects were arrested on Jul 31 near the Sihanoukville Expressway while four others, Chinese nationals aged 32 to 48, were arrested in a separate operation carried out at a residential property in Phnom Penh on Aug 2.
The Chinese embassy said it had immediately 'lodged representations' with Cambodian authorities over the recent killings.
It called on authorities to 'severely punish' the killers to 'ensure the safety and security of Chinese citizens in Cambodia'.
Investigations are currently ongoing.
China has an extradition treaty with Cambodia, which allows for the surrender of fugitives wanted for offences punishable by more than one year imprisonment.
In April, Cambodia deported an unknown number of Taiwanese citizens to China after they were arrested for working in telecom fraud centres.
Last year, Zhang Ruijin, a 45-year-old Chinese national who was one of 10 people convicted in Singapore's largest-ever money laundering case, was deported from Cambodia.
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