Cambodian police on Monday said they are seeking three suspects, including one believed to be in Thailand, over a photoshopped image online of the country’s king that placed him in a gay pornographic scene.
The image, which appeared on some Facebook accounts in both Cambodia and Thailand this week, is a rare public insult aimed at Cambodian King Norodom Sihamoni, a monarch who is largely respected and deemed above the country’s political fray.
While insulting the king is technically illegal in Cambodia, it is rarely prosecuted and does not carry the notoriously stiff penalties seen in Thailand where critics of the monarchy have seen decades-long jail sentences handed down.
Photo: EPA
Cambodian Ministry of Interior spokesman General Khieu Sopheak confirmed an investigation had been launched.
“We have got orders to arrest them,” he said. “If we don’t take action against them, more people might follow their act.”
He declined to specify which law the three suspects might have broken, but said: “The king represents the whole nation and they are insulting the king, which is like they are insulting the whole nation.”
Two suspects were believed to be in Cambodia with the third thought to be in Thailand, he added, saying authorities would consider asking for help from Bangkok.
Article 445 of Cambodia’s criminal code punishes insulting the king with a fine or up to six months in jail.
“It’s certainly not as draconian as Thailand’s but the *lese-majeste clause is there and has been used a few times in recent years,” said Andrea Giorgetta, from the International Federation of Human Rights.
Sihamoni ascended the throne in 2004 following the abdication of his father king Norodom Sihanouk.
Observers say he has ruled quietly as a constitutional monarch, fulfilling a symbolic role as head of state and, unlike his father, staying away from domestic politics.
BOMBARDMENT: Moscow sent more than 440 drones and 32 missiles, Volodymyr Zelenskiy said, in ‘one of the most terrifying strikes’ on the capital in recent months A nighttime Russian missile and drone bombardment of Ukraine killed at least 15 people and injured 116 while they slept in their homes, local officials said yesterday, with the main barrage centering on the capital, Kyiv. Kyiv City Military Administration head Tymur Tkachenko said 14 people were killed and 99 were injured as explosions echoed across the city for hours during the night. The bombardment demolished a nine-story residential building, destroying dozens of apartments. Emergency workers were at the scene to rescue people from under the rubble. Russia flung more than 440 drones and 32 missiles at Ukraine, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy
COMPETITION: The US and Russia make up about 90 percent of the world stockpile and are adding new versions, while China’s nuclear force is steadily rising, SIPRI said Most of the world’s nuclear-armed states continued to modernize their arsenals last year, setting the stage for a new nuclear arms race, the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) said yesterday. Nuclear powers including the US and Russia — which account for about 90 percent of the world’s stockpile — had spent time last year “upgrading existing weapons and adding newer versions,” researchers said. Since the end of the Cold War, old warheads have generally been dismantled quicker than new ones have been deployed, resulting in a decrease in the overall number of warheads. However, SIPRI said that the trend was likely
‘SHORTSIGHTED’: Using aid as leverage is punitive, would not be regarded well among Pacific Island nations and would further open the door for China, an academic said New Zealand has suspended millions of dollars in budget funding to the Cook Islands, it said yesterday, as the relationship between the two constitutionally linked countries continues to deteriorate amid the island group’s deepening ties with China. A spokesperson for New Zealand Minister of Foreign Affairs Winston Peters said in a statement that New Zealand early this month decided to suspend payment of NZ$18.2 million (US$11 million) in core sector support funding for this year and next year as it “relies on a high trust bilateral relationship.” New Zealand and Australia have become increasingly cautious about China’s growing presence in the Pacific
Indonesia’s Mount Lewotobi Laki-Laki yesterday erupted again with giant ash and smoke plumes after forcing evacuations of villages and flight cancelations, including to and from the resort island of Bali. Several eruptions sent ash up to 5km into the sky on Tuesday evening to yesterday afternoon. An eruption on Tuesday afternoon sent thick, gray clouds 10km into the sky that expanded into a mushroom-shaped ash cloud visible as much as 150km kilometers away. The eruption alert was raised on Tuesday to the highest level and the danger zone where people are recommended to leave was expanded to 8km from the crater. Officers also
RSS