A Cambodian couple have been accused of biting off their 12-year-old daughter's thumb nails and a small part of her nose while she was sleeping in order to suck her blood, The Associated Press reports of a disturbing and tragic incident of child abuse that occurred in the Kampong Cham province, about 50 miles east of Phom Penh.
Police officials blame the horrific act on black magic. The girl's screams brought neighbors rushing to the house and to her rescue. She was treated at a hospital and then placed in custody of the other villagers. Police official Keo Norea Phy said relatives had taken the girl's parents, Chheng Chhorn, 46, and Srun Yoeung, 37, to a black magic healer to chase away the evil spirit that was believed to have possessed them, reports AP. "We, the police, just have no idea what offense to charge them with," Keo Norea Phy said.
The couple, who sold noodles in their village to make a living, had never before acted in a strange manner. Local official Preap Nhim surmises they were driven by a spirit guarding the altar they kept inside their home. AP notes that while Cambodia is a Buddhist country, many people in the countryside are deeply superstitious. Some claim the ability to communicate with the dead and cure the sick by exorcising evil spirits from their bodies.
) hilarious.
