June 5, 2002	Wednesday	Rabi-ul-Awwal 23,1423

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PHNOM PENH, June 4: Cambodian police have cracked down on illegal World Cup gambling after a fight broke out in the wake of France’s humiliating one-nil loss to Senegal, officials said Tuesday.

Lok Lorn, police inspector for Chamkar Mon district in the capital Phnom Penh told AFP that one person was injured in the fight after disbelieving punters witnessed the world champions lose to the west Africans.

Since then punters have jammed illegal makeshift dens on side streets and in markets, blocking traffic and disrupting normal business.

“We have raided many illegal football gambling places and we will continue to do more,” Lok Lorn said.

Four people were arrested in raids on Monday.

“We ordered them not to continue that line of business because it is causing disorder,” Lok Lorn said.

The Cambodian government is allowing legal gambling on the World Cup for the first time through its authorized gambling company CamboSix.

But the World Cup in Japan and South Korea, the first to be staged in Asia, has caused life in Cambodia to grind to a virtual halt during matches.—AFP