Phnom Penh: A Cambodian woman living in China has been rescued by local police after using TikTok to appeal to Prime Minister Hun Sen for help. The video message first surfaced on Monday. In it, she claimed to be suffering domestic violence at the hands of her Chinese husband. On Wednesday, she was taken to a place of safety by Chinese police.

25-year-old Ath Sopheak took to TikTok saying she had been living in China for the past four years and had been unable to contact her family. She said her husband was treating her like a servant. She asked the Prime Minister directly to please help get her back to Cambodia. The Prime Minister was watching.

He instructed the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, as well as the Cambodian Embassy to assist. They requested intervention by Chinese police. This has been confirmed by Secretary of State in the Ministry of Interior and Permanent Vice President of the National Committee for Combating Human Trafficking, Chou Bun Eng.

While Sopheak has yet to arrive home, her mother has been informed that she is safe and will soon be back in the kingdom. Her husband is now under investigation by Chinese police. Sopheak’s case is not an isolated one. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs says over the first six months of this year, 231 Cambodian women were rescued in China from husbands who had posed as marriage brokers, lied about their wealth and used the women as servants.