Chinese Hotel Boss Charged in Phnom Penh Worker Killing

[geovalin]

Police

 

 

A Chinese hotel owner in Phnom Penh has been formally charged with fatally beating an employee during a workplace row, in a case that has shocked Cambodia’s hospitality sector.

 

The incident took place on 21 May at a Chinese-owned hotel in Tonle Bassac, Chamkar Mon district. According to police, 32-year-old Yuan Bao Dong, the hotel’s owner, attacked his 36-year-old staff member—also Chinese—following a heated dispute over alleged negligence.

 

Investigators say the confrontation escalated when the victim attempted to strike back after being insulted by Yuan. The employer allegedly retaliated with a steel rod, striking the man repeatedly in the head. The victim later died from his injuries at Calmette Hospital.

 

The Phnom Penh Municipal Court issued a warrant on 29 May, charging Yuan with “Intentional Acts of Violence with Aggravating Circumstances” under Article 224 of Cambodia’s Criminal Code. If found guilty, he faces a prison sentence of seven to ten years.

 

Yuan was arrested on 26 May by local police and is currently being held in pre-trial detention.

 

Deputy Police Chief Major Chhim Saveth confirmed that Yuan had confessed to the attack, telling officers the altercation stemmed from frustrations over the victim’s poor performance at work.

 

The case has raised concerns about worker protections and employer conduct in Cambodia’s fast-growing hotel industry, which employs many foreign nationals. Local authorities have yet to comment on whether the hotel remains operational or whether further action will be taken.

 

The investigation is ongoing.

 

-2025-05-30

[Watawattana]

Useless worker; hmmmm...  Fire him or kill him.  I know, I'll kill him, that's the much better option to choose.

 

Numpty.