The Cambodian agriculture chief on September 18 told officials in Kandal province to explain their actions after clashing with villagers and seizing a black plastic bag of goat meat, as caught in a video shared by the prime minister.

Gaining instant notoriety, the officials were seen in the video arguing that the meat had not been slaughtered according to legal requirements.

The government allows people to raise livestock for meat, not merely to keep the animals for exhibition, Prime Minister Hun Sen quipped in a Facebook post on September 18.

He stressed that people who raise animals have the right to slaughter them for meat, stressing that any law that bans the action must be amended.

“Has the way officials treat our people really gotten to this point? Are the agriculture minister and provincial governor aware of the issue? Since when has the government ever banned people from slaughtering animals for meat?” he asked.

“I am overwhelmed with sympathy for my beloved people.”

In a response to the post, Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Veng Sakhon noted that while there are restrictions on slaughter for commercial purposes, nothing in the Law on Animal Health and Production forbids private slaughter for family consumption.

“Regarding the above issue, I hope the authorities in Kandal province who were involved in the matter will provide a detailed account” to the prime minister, he said.