By Denise Hruby
PHNOM PENH, Cambodia
Cambodian police arrested an opposition party senator early Saturday morning on the orders of the prime minister, who had determined that a Facebook post by the senator constituted treason.
Hong Sok Hour, a senator with the Sam Rainsy Party, a legacy political party that exists for legal reasons but is de facto part of the opposition Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP), was arrested at about 6 a.m. (1100 GMT Saturday) in a private residence in Phnom Penh where he had been hiding, police told local newspapers.
CNRP president Sam Rainsy this morning posted photos showing the senator's arrest by Phnom Penh police's serious crimes bureau.
“We are questioning him now,” Eng Sorphea, serious crimes bureau chief, told The Cambodia Daily.
“We are in the process of investigating."
Fellow opposition politician Son Chhay, a lawmaker with the CNRP, confirmed the arrest in an interview with Anadolu Agency, and questioned whether the Facebook post was actually treason.
“I think the allegation is inappropriate for what he has done, which is just using some documents that were not real on Facebook,” Chhay said.
In the post, Hong used a photo of a fake document in which the border between Vietnam and Cambodia is being “dissolved” by a high-ranking government official.
The opposition has garnered much support in its campaign to investigate the shared border.
Many Cambodian believe that Vietnam is encroaching on Cambodian territory, and the ruling Cambodian People's Party (CPP) was collaborating with Hanoi.
Members of the opposition, including leader Sam Rainsy, have been charged with crimes related to the border dispute in the past.
On Thursday, Hun Sen said during a graduation ceremony that Hong was caught “red-handed” committing treason on Facebook and that he “shall be arrested for immediately.”
“I think the government should have investigated this before arresting him,” Son said. Party officials were now waiting for instructions from Sam Rainsy, who is expected to return from a trip abroad today, he said.
Although Hun Sen has no legal power to order someone's arrest, authorities are known to act swiftly on the Prime Minister's request.
Recently, he ordered the arrest of opposition activists over a protest that had turned violent, as well as the arrest of a tycoon who had brutally beaten a TV presenter in a nightclub.
Both parties were quickly arrested by law enforcement.
