Silent protest ends in death

2007-08-21 14:45

Phnom Penh - A Cambodian man died after staging a silent protest against his wife's alleged infidelity by taping his nose and mouth shut with band-aids, local media reported on Tuesday.

Chea Songha, 42, of the north-western province of Battambang, became enraged with his wife's repeated absences, and, after consuming a large amount of alcohol on Sunday morning, taped over his nose and mouth in an effort to draw his wife's attention to his distress when she returned, reported Khmer-language newspaper Koh Santepheap.

Although police said he did not embark on his stunt as a deliberate suicide attempt, Songha appeared aware of the risks, instructing his sister before she left him home alone that if it ended badly they should play disco music at his funeral, apparently as a further taunt to his wife.

Cambodian funerals are traditionally sombre affairs, accompanied by the chanting of Buddhist monks. - Sapa-dpa

- SAPA