A Ministry of Interior captain faces up to two years in prison after he was charged yesterday with making a death threat against Prime Minister Hun Sen.

Leang La, who works at the ministry’s General Department of Logistics and Finance, was charged at the Phnom Penh Municipal Court after he allegedly used his Facebook account, under the name Leang Leala, to warn Hun Sen he would soon be “meeting his maker” and that his family should go into “exile before 2018”.

“Your . . . fate is die to or to be in jail that cannot be avoided,” the post read.

According to court spokesman Ly Sophanna, “Deputy Prosecutor Sieng Sok has decided to investigate and charge Leang La for ‘making a death threat’ under Article 233 of the Penal Code.”

The charge, which refers to a death threat that “is repeated or made by means of a written document, image or any kind of object”, carries a prison sentence of six months to two years and a fine between 1 million and 4 million riel ($250 to $1,000).

Interior Minister Khieu Sopheak has also said the captain will be punished for attending a Cambodia National Rescue Party election rally, which he said violated the requirement of police neutrality.