Hun Sen threatens to block Facebook access

PHNOM PENH—Prime Minister Hun Sen announced Friday he could block access to Facebook in Cambodia, after the company said it would remove a video in which he threatened to beat up political opponents.

The warning came ahead of a July 23 election that has been widely dubbed a sham after authorities denied registration to the chief challenger to Hun Sen’s ruling Cambodian People’s Party.

Facebook announced Thursday it would remove one of Hun Sen’s videos in line with a ruling by the Oversight Board for Meta, Facebook’s parent company, which also recommended his account be suspended.

Tech experts characterized the move as a “turning point”.

The ruling said his speech contained “unequivocal statements of intent to commit violence” against opposition politicians.

Long a prolific Facebook user, Hun Sen announced Thursday night he had stopped using the platform and appeared to have deleted his account.

Speaking to garment workers in Pursat province on Friday, Hun Sen warned that he could block Facebook “for a short period or forever” in Cambodia at any time to prevent exiled opposition politicians from communicating with the country’s citizens.

“Don’t be arrogant, you guys are staying overseas, you are using Facebook for communications, we could block Facebook,” he said, appearing to address exiled opponents.

He then urged Cambodians to download other social media platforms, including Telegram, TikTok, Line, Viber and Meta-owned WhatsApp which are more difficult to police content.

Hun Sen also accused Facebook of turning a blind eye to “insulting” remarks he claimed rivals had made against his wife and eldest son Hun Manet, who is widely seen as being groomed to take over the country’s leadership in the future. AFP