Facebook Board Members Unwelcome After PM Suspension
Visitors stand in front of a Meta logo during a launch event at the corporate offices of Meta in Berlin on June 6, 2023. (Photo by Tobias SCHWARZ / AFP)
- By Phoung Vantha
- July 4, 2023 7:18 PM
PHNOM PENH – The government has barred 22 members of Facebook’s watchdog body from entering Cambodia after the social media platform suspended Prime Minister Hun Sen’s account.
It’s the latest development in an angry dispute between the government and Meta, Facebook’s parent company.
The Foreign Affairs Ministry said on June 4 that the recommendation of the Meta Platform oversight board to temporarily suspend the PM’s official Facebook page was political in nature.
“It intends to obstruct the freedom of the press for the citizens of Cambodia and the right to receive credible news from a leader whom they support and admire.”
The ministry named 22 board members who had been declared persona non grata in what it called the spirit of unwavering adherence to upholding the principle of sovereignty and to prevent interference in the internal affairs of Cambodia.
The platform had at first declined to take action over complaints that Hun Sen used violent language against opponents in a video posted in January, citing newsworthiness.
In the video, Hun Sen warned opposition leaders against accusing his party of vote theft in next month’s general election.
The video was later taken down but the BBC said Hun Sen had warned, "Either you face legal action in court, or I rally [Cambodian People's Party] people for a demonstration and beat you up."
The video was viewed 600,000 times, according to the BBC.
However, the oversight board said last week, "Given the severity of the violation, Hun Sen's history of committing human rights violations and intimidating political opponents, as well as his strategic use of social media to amplify such threats, the board calls on Meta to immediately suspend Hun Sen's Facebook page and Instagram account for six months."
On June 30, the Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications decided to expel the Facebook representative from Cambodia, citing what it called irregularities in Facebook's services for some users.
These included the creation of fraudulent accounts, data privacy, the use and collection of private data, the dissemination of fake information, lack of accountability and transparency, and interference in the country's politics.
All Facebook activities such as company representation, communication with the government and partnerships with the private sector in the Kingdom would cease.
Hun Sen said on June 29 that he would use the messenger app Telegram and TikTok instead.
He said in his Telegram channel, which has more than 800,000 followers, that he had told his assistant to delete his Facebook account and told the social media company about the decision.
