Rare Red Muntjac Killer Arrested: Koh Kong Authority
Koh Kong provincial authorities have arrested a suspect for killing a rare red muntjac on Kokhav beach. Photo: Koh Kong Provincial Police Facebook
- By Meng Seavmey
- November 2, 2023 6:10 PM
PHNOM PENH – Koh Kong provincial authorities have arrested a suspect for killing a rare red muntjac on Kokhav beach.
The arrest, on Nov. 1, came after an investigation was launched when
video posted on Facebook on Oct. 29 showed an unknown man killing the red muntjac in the sea.
Koh Kong governor Mithona Phuthong named the suspect as Tan Okhong, 23, from Svay Luong commune in Pursat province’s Kandieng district.
The suspect was a security worker at a company in Peam Kay village of Koh Kong province, Provincial Police said.
The Minor Crimes Bureau is filing the case in accordance with the law, the police added.
“I greatly appreciate the police and other relevant actors who had put efforts in identifying the suspect for filling the case,” Phuthong said on her Facebook.
District Governor Cheng Monirith said last week that it was the first time for a red muntjac to get into the sea around the area. Before the investigation, the killer’s face in the video was blurry due to the bad quality of the camera.
According to the Ministry of Environment, the red muntjac is one of 20 rare wildlife species which had been found in the Koh Kong Wildlife Sanctuary by 2022. The species is listed as critically endangered in the International Union for Conservation of Nature Red List.
According to the Environment Ministry, there is no specific number of red muntjac in Cambodia.
