Kien Svay District-Kandal: A man died from electric shock when the neighbor’s rice paddy surrounded by electric wire to prevent mice from entry into rice paddy to destroy rice. On August 28, 2008 in Ta Reap Dounsar, Koki commune, Kien Svay district when a victim Mr. Uk Bunara, 35, a farmer of 3 children came back from fishing site at Beung Thom lake behind his house at about 11 PM across the rice paddy surrounded by electric wire to kill mice, he was electrically shocked to death right way in place.

            A victim’s wife Mrs. U Theary, 29, said her husband always goes fishing at Beung Thom lake at dusk and came back home at about 10 or 11 PM, but on that day she didn’t know what happened. The next morning at about 6AM, her husband still didn’t return home and then she walked to Beung Thom lake; she didn’t find her husband; she only saw her husband’s boat used for fishing. But latter on, she found her husband dead in the rice field near the lake.

            A member of Koki commune council Mrs. Thaung Sam Oeun said at about 6AM, she helped look for a victim and then found him dead in the rice field. She added previously, most of people in her commune used electric shock tool to kill mice preventing them from destroying their rice. When finding that tool illegal and dangerous, the commune authority raised awareness of danger to people and stopped them from using it. After that, the people as well as the offender’s family had stopped using it, but currently due to a plenty of mice destroying rice, the offender’s family used it again.
            The offender’s mother was willing to conciliate a victim’s family (to pay damages to the death), Mrs. Sam Oeun said, adding that this can be civil offense to pay damages and can be criminal offense to pass through the court.

An offender Mr. Chan Sideth, 34, a farmer living in the same village as a victim escaped after a victim’s death happened, Kien Svay district police inspector Mr. Pa Sam Eth said, adding that this case can not conciliate between the victim’s family and the offender’s family because it is a criminal offense to be judged by the court and police have prepared legal procedure to be submitted to the court. He added that in Kien Svay district, this is the 3rd person died from electric shock and he appealed to farmers to stop using electric instrument to kill mice because it is illegal, harmful and criminal offense condemned by the court. (By Meas Chandeth)