Phnom Penh (FN), Aug. 16 – Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen dared COMFREL and foreign-funded media outlets to announce the survey result on the arrest of Rong Chhun, addressing Sunday at the inauguration ceremony of LYP Group’s Garden City Water Park.

"I hope COMFREL, Khmer-language foreign radio stations and other foreign media outlets will broadcast the survey results. This is neither a government Facebook page nor government-friendly page, but it is a non-governmental organization who is actively opposing the government," said the premier.

COMFREL, a non governmental organization that monitors the implementation of democracy and human rights in Cambodia, has held its online poll on Facebook to find out whether the arrest of Rong Chhun is legitimate.

The poll ran for a week long, starting at 12:55 p.m. on 9 August and ended at 12:55 p.m on 16 August 2020.

The poll asked Facebook users to express their opinions with two choices. Choice 1: "Arrest of Rong Chhun violates the law and rights" and Choice 2: "Arrest of Rong Chhun does not violate the law and rights".

At least 13,600 Facebook users participated in the poll. The result indicated that an absolute majority, over 10,000 people or 79 percent, voted to support the arrest of Rong Chhun, saying the arrest does not violate the law and rights.

Only about 3,000 people, 21 percent of the total voters, claimed Rong Chhun arrest violated the laws.

Rong Chhun was arrested on 31 July 2020 for distorting news on border issue. He committed an act of incitement to cause serious social unrest, a violation of Article 495 of the Cambodian Penal Code.
=FRESH NEWS