A man was arrested on Thursday for allegedly threatening the life of Prime Minister Hun Sen in a Facebook post, while a woman was charged with incitement for linking the premier to political analyst Kem Ley’s murder on the social media platform.
Em Vorleak, Preah Sihanouk provincial police’s bureau chief of internal security, said Pich Roth Tha, 24, went to the provincial police headquarters on Thursday to report that his Facebook account had been hacked and a threatening message to Mr. Hun Sen posted on it.
Mr. Vorleak said police arrested him and handed him over to the Interior Ministry’s anti-terrorism department.
“We need to arrest him, and provide [information] to the anti-terrorism department to investigate if it’s hacked or not,” he added. The post was still on Mr. Roth Tha’s Facebook page on Thursday afternoon.
“One day, I will shoot your head, Sen, the blind,” it says. “Sen, you killed so many people, and no longer. You will die by my hand.”
Anti-terrorism department director Y Sok Khy said his officers were questioning Mr. Roth Tha and would continue to do so today.
Separately, a woman who was arrested on Wednesday after accusing Mr. Hun Sen of being behind Kem Ley’s death last July in a live Facebook video was charged on Thursday with incitement, a court official said.
Phnom Penh Municipal Court spokesman Y Rin said Hin Vansreypov, 37, was charged with incitement to commit a felony and was now being provisionally detained at Prey Sar prison.
Ms. Vansreypov was previously identified as Heng Leakhena by police, as it was the name of her Facebook account.
In her Facebook video, which was livestreamed on Sunday, Ms. Vansreypov accused the Hun family of being “stained with Dr. Kem Ley’s blood.”
She faces up to two years in prison and a fine of up to 4 million riel, or about $1,000.
