Prime Minister Hun Sen's eldest son, Hun Manet, filed a defamation complaint to the National Police chief on Friday calling for the arrest of a Facebook user who he claims has insulted him.
Lieutenant General Manet said a Facebook user known as Chham Chhany had committed public defamation against him by tying him and his mother, Bun Rany, to illegal logging.
In a Facebook post, Mr. Chhany’s account said Lt. Gen. Manet, who serves as a deputy commander in the Royal Cambodian Armed Forces, and Ms. Rany, were working with alleged illegal logging tycoons Lim Bunna and Soeung Sam Ol, both of whom run timber operations in Tbong Khmum province.
The post alleged there was a dispute between Mr. Bunna and Mr. Sam Ol, each backed by Lt. Gen. Manet and Ms. Rany, respectively.
“But after Oknha Khna [Mr. Bunna] begged for intervention from Hun Manet, things were changed to ‘legal wood,’ meaning that the two Oknhas still have the opportunity to fell trees, especially to feed Bun Rany and Hun Manet. If they do not feed them enough: imprison, imprison, imprison,” the post said.
International NGO Global Witness was banned from the country after releasing two reports, in 2005 and 2007, linking members of Mr. Hun Sen’s family to the illegal logging trade, including a prominent cousin and his wife.
The post comes on the heels of a newfound push to crack down on the illegal timber trade in provinces along the border with Vietnam. One of Mr. Bunna’s timber warehouses was raided last week.
"Today, I take legal action against one person named Chham Chhany, who has fabricated stories, which affected my and my family’s honors and decency," Lt. Gen. Manet said. “In any democratic society, every citizen has the rights to freedom of expression. Yet, the exercise of a person’s freedom of expression must be accompanied by a certain degree of personal responsibility.”
Lt. Gen. Manet added that freedom of expression must fall within the confines of the country’s legal framework, and must not infringe on other people’s rights.
"Any person who violates these two conditions must be held accountable for his/her actions," Lt. Gen. Manet said.
The account in question says Mr. Chhany went to school in the United States and indicates he may be there now.