Cambodian TikTok user arrested for disparaging Angkor Wat
- Nhel Thearina drew widespread condemnation after saying in online video that famous site ‘does not belong to Cambodians’
- The temples at Angkor, built between the 9th and 15th centuries, are Cambodia’s biggest tourist attraction, as well as a Unesco World Heritage Site
A young Cambodian man popular on the TikTok social media platform was arrested after posting a video that questioned the country’s reverence for its famed Angkor Wat temple, and was ordered detained even though he quickly deleted it and posted an apology, police said on Thursday.
Major General Pen Rath, police chief in the eastern province of Tbong Khmum, said Nhel Thearina, who has more than 100,000 TikTok followers, was arrested soon after posting the video, which was shared on Facebook, where it drew sharp condemnation.
TikTok is especially popular with younger people, and some seek to draw followers through attention-grabbing antics.
He was arrested because the video could cause chaos in society, said Pen Rath, who did not know what the young man was charged with when he was brought before a court on Wednesday. He was ordered held for further investigation by the judge, who could not be reached for comment.
In the video posted on Tuesday, Nhel Thearina declared: “Why does everyone love posting about Angkor Wat temple? Everyone loves posting Angkor Wat, as if Angkor Wat belongs to Cambodians. In fact, it does not belong to Cambodians, so don’t post it. If you can stop, please stop.”