File
Cambodia said Saturday, Feb. 7, that businessman Charlie "Atong" Ang, who is indicted by the Philippine court for the alleged kidnapping of sabungeros (cockfighters), is not in the country.
Cambodia's Foreign Ministry said it issued the statement to "dispel media reports suggesting" that the fugitive tycoon may be hiding in the Philippines' Southeast Asian neighbor and that a team of Philippine police had been dispatched to search for him.
"The spokesperson of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation confirms that Charlie Tiu Hay Ang, also known as Atong Ang, who is wanted by Philippine authorities for a series of alleged crimes, is not in Cambodia," a statement posted on Cambodia's Foreign Ministry's Facebook account read.
It cited an official report from Cambodia's Interior Ministry that there is no record of Ang's entry or exit at any Cambodian border checkpoints.
Ang, now a fugitive, is wanted by the Philippine court for his alleged involvement in the disappearance of missing sabungeros in the Philippines.
He is indicted with 10 counts of kidnapping with homicide and 16 counts of kidnapping with serious illegal detention.
Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) Secretary Jonvic Remulla earlier floated the possibility that Ang might be in Cambodia, as he also supposedly had e-sabong operations there.
Remulla said Ang might have used "backdoor" channels to enter Cambodia.