Embassy of India holds blood donation drive
cases belonging to them.
“The drugs were wrapped in aluminium foil and plastic with the packages weighing 28.3kg. But after cutting off the aluminium foil and plastic, the drugs themselves weighed a kilogramme less,” he said.
The two women confessed that they had bought drugs in Phnom Penh, Amara said, and were attempting to traffic them to the Philippines through Siem Reap International Airport on a Cebu Pacific flight to Manila.
“The women were placed in pre-trial detention in accordance with the provincial court order on Friday after they were charged with trafficking drugs,” he said, adding that the police were continuing to investigate the case
After questioning the suspects, Kampong Thom provincial police on Wednesday and Thursday searched a vacant house in Kampong Svay district and seized a further 60kg of ice.
Va Chankosal, the Kampong Thom prov incial deput y police chief in charge of drug enforcement, told The Post on Thursday t hat t he house, in Sankoa commune’s Sankoa v illage, belonged to a friend of one of t he suspects and had been lef t vacant for months because he had moved to work at a Phnom Penh factor y.
Prosecutor Sot hea said a ll 100kg of drugs had been sent to t he Anti-Drug Department authorities i n Phnom Penh.
THE Embassy of India in Phnom Penh organised a blood donation camp at its premises on Saturday, in a humanitarian initiative marking the 150th anniversary of the birth of Mahatma Gandhi.
Gandhi, the “Father of the Indian Nation”, employed non-violent resistance in a successful campaign for Indian independence from British colonial rule in the early 20th century.
The embassy said: “It is understood that Cambodian hospitals are in need of a continuous supply of blood due to the large number of unfortunate fatal accidents on Cambodian roads.
“The Embassy of India is hopeful that organising a blood donation programme will increase awareness among the public in Cambodia and encourage them to regularly donate blood to save lives and serve humanity.”
The National Blood Transfusion Centre Cambodia and the Indian Association Cambodia, a non-profit organisation involved in cultural and social activities in the Kingdom, assisted the embassy in organising the blood drive.
The essential equipment needed for blood donations, paramedics and technical staff was provided to the embassy by the National Blood Transfusion Centre. Donors were also provided with refreshments in appreciation of their efforts.
Ou Sokleang, a blood donor recruiter, told The Post on Sunday that nearly 100 participants attended the event. The donated blood will be taken to the National Blood Transfusion Centre, and then made available for transfusions.
“More than 200 patients need blood each day [in Cambodia] and we cannot meet the demand. We call on youths who are healthy to come forward to donate blood, particularly with National Independence Day and the Water Festival coming up because we need blood for incidents that take place,” he said.
Sokleang said that there is a shortage of people donating blood in the Kingdom, with currently only 35 per cent of blood used in transfusions coming from donations. The remaining 65 per cent have to be drawn from patients’ families, he said.