Kong Bun Chhoeun, novelist and songwriter, has been writing prolifically since the 1950s but ceased his career under the Khmer Rouge power (1975-79). Had he revealed his identity during this era, it is likely he would have been executed. Cambodia is now moving toward democracy, but powerful people continue to abuse the law. The plot of his last book, The Destiny of Marina, or Acid-Laced Vengeance, published in 2000, bore many similarities to the 1999 scandal of a karaoke singer who was attacked with acid by the jealous wife of a government official. The book details the problem of official impunity in Cambodia. After publication, Kong Bun Chhoeun received death threats from the husband of the woman who had mutilated the singer. In November 2000, he fled to Thailand.
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