Prime Minister Hun Manet has emphasised that Cambodia will not tolerate anyone who creates or attempts to produce social media content which damages the Kingdom’s reputation, warning that they will face the full legal consequences of their actions.

Manet expressed his stance just days after two men from Taiwan – Lu Tsu-hsien and his accomplice Chen Neng-chuan, a controversial social media creator widely known online as “Goodnight Chicken” – who were sentenced to two years in jail on February 15 for producing a fake kidnapping video in Preah Sihanouk province. 

“I warn those who think they can use Cambodia as a place to film controversial videos and earn ‘views’ that we will take strict legal action against them. After serving two years in jail, they [Lu and Chen] will be deported from Cambodia and blacklisted from entering our country for the rest of their lives,” he said while presiding over the February 19 groundbreaking ceremony of the Chak Angre Krom-Prek Pra Bridge in Phnom Penh.

Preah Sihanouk province witnessed extremely rapid development before the Covid-19 pandemic. Hundreds of high-rise buildings sprung up, most of them the product of Chinese investment. The onset of Covid-19 saw work halted on many of the development projects and buildings.

In more recent times, Preah Sihanouk has been the subject of widespread reporting by foreign media – and even a feature film – alleging that torture, kidnappings and human trafficking, as well as online scamming, are common in the province, the Kingdom’s logistics hub. The government has repeatedly denied these allegations.

Recently, the government has launched the “Special Investment Promotion Programme in Preah Sihanouk Province 2024” to restart the provincial economy, especially the stalled building construction.

He also ordered all private shooting ranges in the province to be shut.

Manet said that while Cambodia has tried its best to build up its reputation in the last 25 years, many people appeared to be trying to destroy it.

“We are suffering from attempt to tarnish the Kingdom. We have tried to rebuild our country, and our people welcome our guests with wide smiles. What is so wrong with us that encourages you to create fictitious videos claiming that there are kidnappings, and even organ selling?” he asked rhetorically. 

The premier recalled a case of a false “blood slave” claim in which a Thai woman claimed she was held captive by Chinese nationals for the purposes of collecting her blood and that they intended to harvest her organs. The entire story turned out to be “false”, and the women was sent to prison for six months by Thai authorities.

“Their actions affect the dignity of our nation and cannot be allowed. I send this message clearly to anyone who attempt to use Cambodia. They cannot use the Kingdom as a punchline for a joke. We will follow up on this most recent case. If the two years they will serve does not deter others from attempting the same thing, then we will look into giving longer sentences. Cambodia is not a place you can just make jokes about,” he said.

Regarding the fake kidnapping video, Manet said the two men had damaged the reputation of Cambodia, as they had led the millions of people who watched their TikTok to wrongly believe that Cambodia is not safe. 

“Did their action show love for Cambodia? We will not let you do this,” he added.

The prime minister also revealed that some people had tried to intervene on behalf of the two men, asking him to release them so they could care for their sick mothers at home.

“The day before yesterday, some people sought to intervene on their behalf, and I blasted them on the phone. They suggested we take pity on the two young men as they have sick mothers in Taiwan. I said if their mothers are sick, they should have received even more severe sentences, because they are ungrateful sons. 

“If their mothers are sick, they should have expressed their gratitude to them by taking care of them, rather than flying to another country to destroy its reputation and cause trouble,” he stressed.

He noted that according to the pair’s plans, uncovered by Preah Sihanouk police, they also intended to shoot a video in Siem Reap province before continuing on to Laos, and all to get “likes and views” online.

Yang Peou, secretary-general of the Royal Academy of Cambodia, explained that the Kingdom adheres to democratic principles, with protection for freedom of expression.

He warned however, that those who go beyond what is permitted by law – such as spreading information that has a negative effect on national security or damages the reputation of the country – must be held legally accountable for their actions.

He believes that prosecuting such acts is essential, in order to restore Cambodia’s image on the international stage.

“Disinformation cause serious damage to the Kingdom, in terms of political, economic and tourism aspects. If people suggest Cambodia is full of robbery, murders and fraud … this will make tourists too afraid to come here,” he said.

Peou encouraged people to spread good news about Cambodia, in order to recover the trust of visitors and investors and draw them back to the Kingdom.