PHNOM PENH: Some young Cambodians have expressed support for the Tuesday evening arrest of two former opposition activists, Yim Sinorn and Hun Kosal, after the two made social media posts insulting the King’s position of power.
Kanha, a 21-year-old graduate of Vanda Institute, told EAC News that she does not support any insults made to the King, as he is a royal figure that the Cambodian people have always respected.
"I think it is a bad thing [to insult the King] because Cambodia is a country that respects the King, we should not [insult him],” she said. “He did not do anything to us, why would we insult him?”
Another graduate, Daneth, also offered her thoughts.
"His majesty provides a ‘cool shade’ for the Cambodian people, he is always looking after the Cambodian people,” she said. “Whether they are persons with disabilities, the poor or anyone else who needs help, the King is always helping and looking after the Cambodian people."
Chan Dun, an accounting graduate from Vanda Institute, also echoed the sentiments of his peers, saying that no insults should be made to the King.
"He must be respected because we live in Cambodia,” he asserted.
These young Cambodians agreed that taking action against the two former activists would be the right thing to do, in order to set an example for other people and discourage insulting the King. The freshly graduated students also called on the people to respect and value the King and Prime Minister of Cambodia, who are leading the country on a path of progress.
During the graduation ceremony for Vanda Institute students on Wednesday morning, 22 March 2023, Prime Minister announced that he would not accept an apology from Yim Sinorn and Hun Kosal, especially since he had already pardoned Yim Sinorn once before.
"I do not make this statement to encourage the court to indict or not indict [the two individuals], I only share my statement, but not to influence the court’s final judgement,” said the Prime Minister.
Former opposition activists, Yim Sinorn and Hun Kosal, were arrested and detained by the Phnom Penh Municipal Police after they posted separate messages on their Facebook pages allegedly insulting the King. The activists made posts referring to the SEA Games torch lighting ceremony held at Angkor Wat, which King Norodom Sihamoni presided over on Tuesday morning.
During the video livestream of the event, the King’s umbrella holder could be seen trying to avoid blocking the Prime Minister’s path while he spoke with the King. This inadvertently made it look like the umbrella holder was only trying to provide shade for the Prime Minister and not the King. Later on, however, the Prime Minister could be seen instructing the umbrella holder to come closer to properly shade the King from the sun.
Yim Sinorn made a post on his Facebook page, writing, "According to the chatter you can overhear at a café, we can clearly see who is the real King.” Sinorn deleted the post only a few minutes after and followed up with another message. “I just posted about the talk I overheard [at a café], but many people made comparisons to other topics, so to avoid misunderstandings, I will delete my earlier post,” he wrote.
The Prime Minister, however, appeared to have already seen the previous post and commented, “There is no need to delete.”
The head of the Cambodian government also replied to another user's comment asking if Sinorn would face repercussions for making this post about the King. He responded saying that it would be strange if this went unpunished, because the post was not just an expression of one’s opinion, but a deliberate distortion of the truth. While it is ultimately up to the municipal court to judge this case, the Prime Minister added, "Such a rude kid must not be forgiven, especially as he has already been pardoned before.”
Meanwhile, Hun Kosal posted a picture of the King at the torch lighting ceremony with the caption, "They hurt and humiliate the King in all ways.
As the next generation of politicians, I am determined to use all my ability to join forces with President Kem Sokha to protect the King's prestige and the throne that the people of Cambodia cannot be without."
Prime Minister Hun Sen has asked all TV stations to re-broadcast the SEA Games Torch Lighting Ceremony, led by the King on 21 March, so that the people can observe the Prime Minister's respect for the King themselves.
