Masked gunmen seized dozens of children at an international school in northwestern Cambodia yesterday, killing a three-year-old Canadian boy and threatening to shoot the others one-by-one before police rescued the remaining hostages, police and government officials said.
The attackers stormed Siem Reap International School yesterday morning, taking students from several countries hostage and demanding money, weapons and a vehicle before police ended the six-hour standoff, taking four gunmen into custody, at least one of whom was wounded.
The gunmen shot the boy when authorities declined to meet all of their demands, then "threatened to kill the other children one by one," said Information Minister Khieu Kanharith, quoting the deputy national police chief, Neth Savoeun.
Dozens of police stormed the school compound as the hostage takers tried to flee in a van, but police intercepted the vehicle, smashing windows and arresting them. Nearly 40 children, some as young as two, ran into the arms of their panic-stricken parents.
"I'm very relieved," said Singaporean Tan Seok Ho, who rushed to the school when she heard about the crisis from a friend. Her youngest child was among those taken and released unharmed. "I'm happy to have him back in my arms again."
The crisis unfolded at Cambodia's tourism hub of Siem Reap, near its famed Angkor temples and home to many expatriates, and quickly drew concern from governments around the region. The town has many establishments serving the international tourist trade, and children from at least 15 nations attend the school.
The identity of the attackers was not clear, even after the standoff ended. Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen said they appeared to be security guards at the school, but police later said teachers did not recognize them.
The men originally took about 70 people but later released 30 of them, Khieu Kanharith said.
They "were armed with shotguns" and had demanded money, six AK-47 assault rifles, six shotguns, grenade launchers, hand grenades and a car, said Deputy Military Police Commander Prak Chanthoeum, adding that three teachers were among those seized.
He later said US$30,000 and a van were given to the gunmen, but they still refused to free the hostages and continued to demand guns and grenades.
Police initially said there were six attackers, but later put the number at four and said all had been arrested. They said the hostage takers were 22 to 25 years old, and were from the southeastern province of Kandal.
Denis Richer, a Frenchman who said he teaches at another school in the booming tourist town, said that he saw one of the attackers laying wounded on the ground after police ended the siege.
A Western resident in Siem Reap, who requested anonymity, said she was told by a teacher at the school that the children, most of them aged two to six, came from Taiwan, Cambodia, Italy, Indonesia, South Korea, the US, Japan, Ireland, Singapore, the UK, Australia, Canada, the Philippines, Thailand and Switzerland.
Khieu Kanharith described the boy who was shot as a three-year-old Canadian.
Embassy officials could not immediately confirm that, but a witness who knew the child also identified him as Canadian.
NEXT GENERATION: The four plants in the Central Taiwan Science Park, designated Fab 25, would consist of four 1.4-nanometer wafer manufacturing plants, TSMC said Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電) plans to begin construction of four new plants later this year, with the aim to officially launch production of 2-nanometer semiconductor wafers by late 2028, Central Taiwan Science Park Bureau director-general Hsu Maw-shin (許茂新) said. Hsu made the announcement at an event on Friday evening celebrating the Central Taiwan Science Park’s 22nd anniversary. The second phase of the park’s expansion would commence with the initial construction of water detention ponds and other structures aimed at soil and water conservation, Hsu said. TSMC has officially leased the land, with the Central Taiwan Science Park having handed over the
The Philippines is working behind the scenes to enhance its defensive cooperation with Taiwan, the Washington Post said in a report published on Monday. “It would be hiding from the obvious to say that Taiwan’s security will not affect us,” Philippine Secretary of National Defense Gilbert Teodoro Jr told the paper in an interview on Thursday last week. Although there has been no formal change to the Philippines’ diplomatic stance on recognizing Taiwan, Manila is increasingly concerned about Chinese encroachment in the South China Sea, the report said. The number of Chinese vessels in the seas around the Philippines, as well as Chinese
AUKUS: The Australian Ambassador to the US said his country is working with the Pentagon and he is confident that submarine issues will be resolved Australian Ambassador to the US Kevin Rudd on Friday said that if Taiwan were to fall to China’s occupation, it would unleash China’s military capacities and capabilities more broadly. He also said his country is working with the Pentagon on the US Department of Defense’s review of the AUKUS submarine project and is confident that all issues raised will be resolved. Rudd, who served as Australian prime minister from 2007 to 2010 and for three months in 2013, made the remarks at the Aspen Security Forum in Colorado and stressed the longstanding US-Australia alliance and his close relationship with the US Undersecretary
‘WORLD WAR III’: Republican Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene said the aid would inflame tensions, but her amendment was rejected 421 votes against six The US House of Representatives on Friday passed the Department of Defense Appropriations Act for fiscal 2026, which includes US$500 million for Taiwan. The bill, which totals US$831.5 billion in discretionary spending, passed in a 221-209 vote. According to the bill, the funds for Taiwan would be administered by the US Defense Security Cooperation Agency and would remain available through Sept. 30, 2027, for the Taiwan Security Cooperation Initiative. The legislation authorizes the US Secretary of Defense, with the agreement of the US Secretary of State, to use the funds to assist Taiwan in procuring defense articles and services, and military training. Republican Representative
RSS