Cambodian opposition party co-leader Kem Sokha’s ‘audio recordings’ discussing sex topics leaked on social media

Cambodian opposition party co-leader Kem Sokha has become embroiled in a sex scandal following online leaks of audio recordings of a man, purported to be him, discussing sexual topics with women by telephone and promising them money and other inducements.

Supporters of the Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP) and many political observers see the leaks as politically motivated, aimed at weakening the opposition party ahead of the 2018 general election and to deflect public attention away from hot-button issues like government corruption, poverty, deforestation and land grabbing.

The ruling Cambodian People’s Party (CPP) of Prime Minister Hun Sen has rejected claims that it is behind a smear campaign against the acting president of opposition Cambodia National Rescue Party, which is widely seen as the only threat to the CPP’s continued rule.

Since recordings of the salacious conversations began surfacing via Facebook on February 29, now numbering in the dozens, the scandal has attracted huge attention from local media as well as in cyberspace, with all the various twists and turns of the plot sometimes resembling a television soap opera.

For the rich and powerful to keep mistresses and “step-wives” is not uncommon in this small Southeast Asian nation and is often taken for granted. Sex scandals stemming from anything other than wives incensed at their husbands’ infidelity are a rare occurrence.

But the current case involving the opposition leader is unique in that it was leaked on social media by an unidentified source for reasons suspected but unknown and unproven.