Phnom Penh (FN), Jul. 1 — Major media outlets such as The New York Times reported that a spokesperson for Meta, the company that manages Facebook, has made it clear that the company did not suspend or delete Cambodian prime minister Hun Sen’s Facebook page. The prime minister deleted it by himself.
The statement from Meta spokesperson came after rumors surfaced that the company had decided to shut down the Facebook page of Cambodian prime minister Hun Sen for violating human rights or political rights.
On 29 June 2023, Cambodian premier deleted his Facebook page and asked Facebook to remove his profile from Facebook list.
Addressing a public forum on 30 June 2023, premier Hun Sen asked Facebook whether the Facebook policy has examined the opposition group insulting the Cambodian king, and the premier’s wife and children?
Premier Hun Sen also warned Facebook not to bring up technical issues and overlook the savage acts committed by the opposition.
“Facebook has its policies and I respect them, but Facebook overlooks some of the issues that go against Facebook’s policies,” the premier underscored.
In addition, premier Hun Sen stated nearly 20 users faked his Facebook profile. On the other hand, recently, Samdech has found a more effective communication network, the Telegram app, which is safe from hacking.
Samdech would like to ask for the understanding of Cambodian people who had friend with him on Facebook and asked them to subscribe his Telegram channel to receive information and made comments. Samdech also created a TikTok account to share information and speeches.
Cambodian prime minister announced that the Royal Government of Cambodia will not block access to Facebook in Cambodia due to local demands.
The Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications has decided to expel Facebook representatives from Cambodia and stop all activities such as company representation, government relations and private sector partnerships in Cambodia from 30 June 2023.
