Mafia beef in S'ville #RussianMafia UPDATED

[geovalin]

Phak Seangly, Shaun Turton and Charles Rollet

A Russian “mafia” group has attacked the official tour operator for this week’s kaZantip music festival in a bid to extort money, the operator’s representative has claimed, as rumours swirl about the involvement of prominent members of Sihanoukville’s Russian business community.

Armed with guns and what witnesses described as a samurai sword, a group of men launched an assault on Lotus Tours at their headquarters at the Queenco Hotel in Sihanoukville on Friday, February 13.

According to Emergency Legal Consulting Agency (ELCA) – which is representing Lotus – the attackers “started shooting and stabbing indiscriminately” injuring three tourists, one seriously, after their attempt of extorting cash from the company was rebuffed by staff.

Medical personnel inspect a stab wound on the torso of Bulgar Mihai at a clinic on Friday after he was attacked at a Sihanoukville casino. PHOTO SUPPLIED

“The criminals armed with machetes and guns introduced themselves as the mafia protector roof of the entire Russian business in Sihanoukville,” the statement says. “The attackers knew from their sources that Lotus Tours is associated with KaZantip music festival.”

ELCA – which also serves Sergei Polonsky – maintained the attack was led by a man who claimed affiliation with Snake House Security, a company run by Polonsky’s rival Nikolai Doroshenko.
However, Nikolai’s son Ostap Doroshenko, a captain in the Sihanoukville police department, flatly rejected the accusation.

“I know for sure my family was not involved in this,” said Ostap Doroshenko, who is currently in Thailand.

He said the man identified by ELCA as the main suspect had never worked for Snake House.

“I only know him to say ‘hello’,” he said.

According to deputy provincial prosecutor Huoth Vichet, four foreigners and “a few” Cambodians have been summoned for questioning over the incident, which left 20-year-old Mihai Bulgar with a stab wound in his stomach.

Vichet said a search of the villa where the group of summonsed foreigners were staying – and are now being kept under guard – uncovered gas-powered pellet guns and plastic pellets but no live ammunition.

Suth Kim Seng, deputy chief of Commune 3, said five such guns had been found while security camera footage from the venue was being analysed.

He said Bulgar was recovering at a clinic under police guard for his own safety.

According to a Queenco employee who spoke on condition of anonymity, the incident happened about 8:30pm near the venue’s beachside bar between “two groups of Russians”.

“[The victims] had been in the bar for 10 minutes,” he said. “The other group, I don’t know how many, came in with a sword. People ran away because they had a gun.”

The employee said his colleagues heard a few gunshots while the assault, which he didn’t see, lasted about five minutes before the attackers fled and police arrived.

The annual kaZantip festival is relocating to Sihanoukville this year due to security concerns in its long-time location, Ukraine.

ELCA representative Ilya Rosenfeld – who also works as Polonsky’s spokesperson – said Polonsky has “no connection” with kaZantip, even though ELCA represents Polonsky as well.

The long-running dispute between Doroshenko and Polonsky, who were former business partners, revolves around Polonsky’s claims that Doroshenko “stole” property he claims ownership of in Cambodia.

KaZantip organisers did not respond to questions as of press time.

http://www.phnompenhpost.com/mafia-beef-sville

[geovalin]

Victim blames Russian gang

Tue, 17 February 2015

Phak Seangly and Kevin Ponniah

The alleged target of a gang attack at Sihanoukville’s Queenco Casino and Hotel last Friday has pointed the finger at a “group of criminals” that he said have been extorting protection money from numerous members of the Russian community in the coastal province.

The accusations come as two Russian nationals, Aleksei Burlakov, 30, and Aleksandr Kiselev, 29, were charged as accomplices to aggravated intentional violence by the provincial court and placed in pre-trial detention yesterday evening in connection with the case.

Police are continuing to investigate and are seeking several other suspects.

Vladimir Palancica, the manager of Lotus Tours, which runs out of Queenco and is the official tour operator for the kaZantip music festival, said that on Friday a group of about 10 men, including Cambodians, had tried to strong-arm him into handing over both protection money and a cut of profits he was making from the festival.

When he refused, they attacked with guns and knives, he said.

“They said that they know where I live, where my wife lives, they know about my children, and then they said that even the president of kaZantip will pay them, so why am I not paying them?” he said.
He added that kaZantip organisers had been asked to pay the group $45,000 but refused.

Palancica claimed the “gang” were linked to a businessman called Oleg Tihanov, who owns the Garage Bar and Oceania Hotel in Sihanoukville.

If he had acquiesced to the demands, the group would still be operating with impunity, he continued, adding he feared for his family while most of the alleged members of the group were still at large.

The manager of Garage Bar, who identified himself only as Oleg but said he was not Oleg Tihanov, said that the incident had no connection with the bar, where Palancica said the attackers were often seen.

“It’s a problem between some guys and it happened outside Garage Bar. It’s none of our business.… Right now nobody gives some facts about the incident, all the facts are coming from one side,” he said.

He added that the Queenco incident was undoubtedly related to kaZantip.

“After this guy appeared in the city, everybody has a problem,” he said of the organiser.

Oleg Tihanov could not be reached on a number provided by the bar’s manager.

Artem Kharchenko, the “prime minister” of kaZantip, which starts Wednesday on Koh Puos island and lasts for 10 days, declined to comment.

Three tourists were injured during Friday’s attack. Mihai Bulgar, who suffered a stab wound, was released from hospital on Sunday, according to provincial police.

Burlakov and Kiselev were arrested Saturday in a raid on a villa, where police seized two cars, a motorbike and six airguns.

Separately yesterday, provincial authorities visited Koh Puos to inform the kaZantip organisers that they would have to suspend all “activities” related to the festival, including construction, until they receive full permission to go ahead, provincial governor Chhit Sokhun said.

Although both the Ministry of Culture and Ministry of Tourism have given a conditional green light, the “government” still has not agreed, he said.

http://www.phnompenhpost.com/victim-blames-russian-gang