About 200 students were hospitalised with food poisoning after accepting leftover food from a CPP commune pre-selection meeting in Pursat over the weekend.

A total of 210 took ill after eating suspected tainted rice on Friday in Samrong commune, according to Phnom Kravanh district police chief Vong Saveth.

Saveth said about 600 CPP supporters gathered to discuss upcoming commune elections, but having catered for 800, they gave the remaining 200 meals of pork and rice to students at the Rom Doul Primary School.

“Mostly it was the students who were sick after eating this rice, only about four to 10 [of those who fell ill] were CPP supporters,” he said.

Prom Sarom, of Pursat referral hospital, said about half of those afflicted with vomiting and exhaustion were treated at his facility and discharged on Saturday.

District CPP chief Som Visal said he was working to find those who went to private hospitals to reimburse them. “It is just the carelessness of the [rice] sellers . . . It is not a bad sign that our party is going to lose; it has nothing to do with that,” Visal said.