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A khmer krom monk who stayed at Samaki Rrangsey pagoda was stabbed to death by another unknown monk on 12 Jan 2015.
The motive led to this fatal stabbing is not yet revealed.

Please wait for update news.

Updated news from The Cambodia Daily

Teenage Monk Stabs Pagoda Leader to Death

A teenage monk was arrested Monday after using a kitchen knife to stab and kill an older monk at Phnom Penh’s Samakki Raingsey pagoda, police and pagoda residents said.

The pagoda in Meanchey district has become a haven for marginalized groups seeking shelter in Phnom Penh in recent years, and many politically active, ethnic Khmer Krom monks reside there, including the victim of Monday’s stabbing.




Choem Sitha, deputy chief of police in Meanchey district, said Chan Sopheak, an 18-year-old Khmer Krom monk who also goes by the name Ly Toeng, got into an argument with the pagoda’s second deputy chief monk, Thach Khan, 37, at about 8 a.m. Monday.

“We have only the statement from the monk that Thach Khan punched him first in the right jaw,” said Mr. Sitha.

“There was a confrontation and he [Mr. Sopheak] stabbed him. He said he did not know he had stabbed him; he just held the knife in his hand,” he added.

Mr. Sitha said that Thach Khan later died of his injuries, which included a stab wound near his collarbone, at the Khmer-Soviet Friendship Hospital.

Mr. Sopheak fled Samakki Raingsey pagoda after the fight and police officers arrested him at a nearby house where he was hiding.

“Our police officers and officials from the Ministry of Religion went there and defrocked him,” Mr. Sitha said, adding that police were compiling a report on the incident and would bring Mr. Sopheak before the Phnom Penh Municipal Court today to face charges.

Tib Pouly, a 25-year-old monk who witnessed the fight, disputed the suspect’s claims, saying that Mr. Sopheak threw the first punch and then took out a knife.

“The young monk punched him and Thach Khan tried to take cover,” he said. “The young monk took a knife from his…bag and slashed him, hitting his hand and his neck, and blood gushed everywhere.”

“[Thach Khan] tried to flee, but he fell to the ground at once,” he added.

The pagoda’s chief monk, Seang Sovannara, said Thach Khan had been attempting to pull Mr. Sopheak into his room to discuss the young monk’s recent disobedience when the fight broke out.

“Before, [Mr. Sopheak] was not like this—he was a gentle and quiet monk—but recently, we have noticed that he has been aggressive,” he said.

Seang Sovannara said that on Sunday night, Mr. Sopheak tore down a notice posted in Samakki Raingsey warning monks about a civilian who had been collecting alms in the pagoda’s name. This was Thach Khan’s immediate reason for calling the young monk in for a scolding, he said.

Thach Khan was a human rights advocate who often joined out-of-town villagers staying at the pagoda between marches to government institutions to protest land disputes, Seang Sovannara said.

First deputy chief monk Thach Ha Sam Ang said he believed the murder was premeditated, not carried out in the heat of a confrontation.

“It was a planned murder, as he already had the knife…and therefore intended to kill him,” he said, adding that Mr. Sopheak had seemed “gentle” and that the murder came as a shock to all of the Samakki Raingsey monks.

“It could be that someone outside the pagoda incited him to make trouble in the pagoda, because if the pagoda has an incident, [the authorities] can shut down the pagoda.”

Two ethnic Khmer Krom monks from Samakki Raingsey were arrested in November as they attempted to transport flags to protesting villagers from Preah Vihear province staying at the pagoda.

The Court of Appeal on Friday denied bail to the monks, who are charged with participating in a criminal organization.

Thanks Samouth. That's so weird. Maybe he was on drugs? It would be interesting to know the whether the motive was political or personal.

It could be that someone outside the pagoda incited him to make trouble in the pagoda, because if the pagoda has an incident, [the authorities] can shut down the pagoda.

According to this quote, it is likely that this case has something to deal with political as this was the pagoda where two police cars were burned during the crack down a few months ago.

Interesting. Thanks for the update. Still, doesn't exactly cast a good light on the establishment.

Bad monk.

Dont do it again...you bad

General Chatter wrote:Dont do it again...you bad

Indeed. Looks like a slap on the wrist is in order. He is not even being tried for manslaughter, but with intentional violence.
I think that Samouth is right and this incident has been set up by someone - have to see what happens next and whether the pagoda is closed.

By Mech Dara | January 15, 2015

The Phnom Penh Municipal Court on Wednesday charged an 18-year-old former monk with intentional violence following his arrest Monday for stabbing an older monk to death at Phnom Penh’s Wat Samakki Raingsey, a court official said.

According to police and witnesses, Chan Sopheak killed Thach Khan, 37, Samakki Raingsey’s second deputy chief monk, with a kitchen knife following an argument at the pagoda in Meanchey district on Monday morning. Thach Khan died of his injuries later that day, police said.

“We charged with him with [intentional] violence with aggravating circumstances and sent him to the investigating judge for more questioning,” deputy prosecutor Chea Meth said Wednesday, declining to comment further. The charge carries a sentence of between seven and 15 years’ imprisonment.

Deputy district police chief Choem Sitha said Mr. Sopheak, who was defrocked after Monday’s incident, avoided more serious charges—such as murder or manslaughter—because of the answers he gave police during questioning.

“When we took him to our police station, he said he did not know that he had murdered the monk,” Mr. Sitha said. “[He said] they just hit each other.”

...

https://www.cambodiadaily.com/news/cour ... nce-76162/

when he says he didn't stab him...

where did the knife come from ?

did he have a knife with him, when the punches were exchanged or not ?
did the murdered monk have one ?

I was talking to one of my local friends last night, we both live near enough to the pagoda in question. Apparently, the young monk had been hanging around coffee shops, drinking coffee and watching TV, and also had a girlfriend. The senior monk pulled him up over this, and that was when the argument started.