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Cambodian police arrest suspects in rape of French tourist

(WISH Photo)

PHNOM PENH, Cambodia (AP) — Three men accused of raping a female French tourist in southern Cambodia last week have been arrested, police said Wednesday.

Kampot province police chief Maj. Gen. Mao Chanmathurith said the 43-year-old woman reported that she was walking alone at 3 a.m. Friday in Kampot town when three men pushed her into a car and assaulted her.

Mao Chanmathurith said one suspect was arrested Tuesday and the other two on Wednesday, and that they had confessed to raping the woman. He said they were still being interrogated by police before being brought to court to be formally charged.

The suspects could not be contacted for comment.

Police identified the arrested men as 37-year-old taxi driver Seng Srun and construction workers Pum Livy, 19, and Ngeth Nophea, 23.

Mao Chanmathurith identified the men as a taxi driver and two construction workers.

Cambodia has a major tourism industry, with 6.2 million international tourist arrivals last year, up almost 11% from a year earlier. There were over 2 million arrivals from China, topping the list, with France holding the ninth spot with almost 171,000 visitors, the most from any European country.

While petty crimes against foreigners are not unusual, major violent crimes against them are rare.