DAP: The breaking news in Cambodia: “4 bank staff, 2 accomplices arrested in bank robbery in E. Cambodia: police” plus 2 more

KAMPONG CHAM, Cambodia, Jan. 24 (Xinhua) -- Six suspects including 4 bank staff were arrested at midnight on Wednesday in a bank robbery after 16-hour operations, police said Thursday in a press conference.

The incident happened at a local Acleda Bank's branch in Arak Thnort commune in Stung Trang district of Kampong Cham province, about 124 kilometers east of Phnom Penh, the capital of Cambodia.

Col. Chim Senghong, deputy police chief of Kampong Cham province, said in the press conference that the alleged bank robbers had fabricated the hostage situation on Wednesday by arranging some of them to act as drug-addicted kidnappers armed with a pistol and some as hostages.

"All images that we saw yesterday (Wednesday) were fabricated. Both kidnappers and the kidnapped persons are accomplices, they prepared a plot to rob the bank," he said, adding that the branch cashier Sin Kimthat is the mastermind and five others including 3 bank staff and two outsiders are associates.

He recalled that on Wednesday, the suspects pretended to be " drug addicts" and took bank staff hostage in a bank's room with double safety locks in order to cheat police that they were not robbers and to postpone time until night in order to give them chance to escape.

"Sin Kimthat is the man who masterminds the robbery plan because he needs money to repay the debt," he said.

Prom Visoth, executive vice president and chief legal officer of Acleda Bank, confirmed Thursday that it is not 4 bank staff, but 5 are the perpetrators.

"They are one cashier, two customer service agents and two credit officers," he told Xinhua over telephone. "The reason they robbed the bank because they are broke and need money to repay debts."

He said it remained unknown the amount of money the bank lost during the incident, but he said "it is not much because the branch is in rural area."

Acleda Bank is the kingdom's largest commercial bank.

HANOI, Jan. 23 (Xinhua) -- The fifth ASEAN School Games will take place here from June 22-30, Vietnam's state-run news agency reported on Wednesday.

The event is expected to attract 1,500 athletes and coaches from Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.

According to the report, regional students will compete in track and field, sepak takraw, swimming, badminton, basketball, gymnastics, table tennis, volleyball and pencak silat.

Host Vietnam eyes 20-25 gold medals.

The ASEAN School Games is an annual sporting event which aims to enhance friendship among students around the region. The fourth edition was held in Indonesia in 2012.

PHNOM PENH, Jan. 23 (Xinhua) -- Two drug addicts armed with a pistol have been holding two local bank staff hostage since Tuesday evening in the bank, demanding "drug, not money", police confirmed on Wednesday evening.

The incident happened at Acleda Bank's branch in Arak Thnort commune in Stung Trang district of Kampong Cham province, about 124 kilometers east of Phnom Penh, the capital of Cambodia.

"The perpetrators are drug addicts, they are taking the two bank staff hostage in the bank's building to demand drug," Touch Mey, deputy police chief of Arak Thnort commune, told Xinhua over the telephone.

He said that at the start on Tuesday evening, three bank employees were taken hostage, but one managed to escape on Wednesday morning and reported to police.

"The police surrounded and broken into the building, but could neither arrest the suspects nor rescue the hostages because they had led the two male hostages into a cashier room, which is equipped with double safety locks," he said. "We dare not to break the locks to enter the room because we are concerned that the suspects will kill the hostages."

The suspects kidnapped them for drug, not for money because the bank on Wednesday afternoon arranged about 57 million riel (14,250 U.S. dollars) to give to the kidnappers in order to exchange for the release of the hostages, but they did not take the money, but demanded for drug instead.

"Finally, we decided to give drug to them, and we strategically withdraw from the building and the suspects promised that they will come out of the room tomorrow morning," he said.

Acleda Bank is the kingdom's largest commercial bank. The bank' s management could not be reached for comments on Wednesday evening.