PHNOM PENH, Cambodia – A wealthy military general charged with murdering a fellow tycoon over a business dispute was taken into police custody Friday.
Thong Sarath was sent to police headquarters in Phnom Penh after being taken into custody in the eastern province of Svay Rieng, National Police spokesman Gen. Kirt Chantharith said.
Cambodian media reported that police in neighboring Vietnam detained him and sent across the border on Thursday.
The Defense Ministry suspended Thong Sarath after he was charged with masterminding the killing of tycoon Ung Meng Cheu last Nov. 22 in a dispute over a property sale.
Four of Thong Sarath's bodyguards were jailed on accusations they shot Ung Meng Cheu when he stepped out of his car near a fruit store in the Cambodian capital.
The profile of the case rose when Thong Sarath's parents held a news conference ahead of his arrest that seemed to boast he would escape. Their house was then raided and they were arrested for illegal possession of weapons.
His parents were granted bail then were re-arrested near the Vietnam border while making an alleged attempt to flee, and the judge who granted them bail was fired.
Thong Sarath himself has posted videos on social media claiming innocence and pleading with Prime Minister Hun Sen to guarantee his fair treatment.
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