BATTAMBANG: The Battambang night lit up with the sound of repeated rounds being fired from a fully automatic AK47 Monday night. The sound was an echo back to darker days in Cambodia when Battambang was held under siege by the Khmer Rouge at the end of the 20th Century, but this time it was due to a family argument.

Battambang police are hunting for a 54-year-old man named Sok Kong who fired the illegal weapon indiscriminately. According to the official report, at approximately 8:00 pm on Monday, the shots were fired at the perpetrator's house in the Samlot district of Battambang.

The suspect owned the illegal weapon, and while he was drunk argued with his son-in-law, and fired 21 rounds wildly into the air, causing panic to people nearby. After discharging the weapon, the perpetrator then ran into the forest and disappeared.

Police were called to the scene and fortunately nobody was injured. Since the gunman fled, he has not been seen. Police are still looking to locate the man, who is believed to be still armed with the weapon and live ammunition.