Former Opposition Lawmaker Calls on PM’s Son to Explain Sexual Assault Claims

A leading former opposition politician has called on one of Prime Minister Hun Sen’s sons to publicly explain himself after sexual assault allegations circulated on social media.

Last week, numerous videos were published on social media purporting to show messages between Hun Many and a number of women who had allegedly been assaulted by Many. Before the videos were posted online, Many’s office released a statement saying that his Facebook page had been compromised by hackers.

In one of the messages, it appeared that one of the women had been hospitalized after her encounter with Many.

Mu Sochua, a former lawmaker for Battambang province with the now dissolved Cambodia National Rescue Party, demanded Many explain the messages.

“As we have already seen in the hacked video and photos, it was really serious to the point where one lady wanted to commit suicide. Moreover, what I worry about most is those ladies could possibly suffer from acid attacks, or murder, and they never get justice,” she said.

“I am not accusing Hun Many. I am asking him to explain and if he really is innocent, with his power and title, he could create a campaign to protect women who are sexual assault victims.”

When contacted by VOA, Many reclined to comment on the leak, instead calling for a face-to-face interview, which must be applied for in writing.

Thida Khus, head of Silaka, an NGO, agreed with Sochua’s call for Many to publicly explain the messages.

“Since he is a public figure, he should defend himself and explain it.”

Since the messages were published, several of the women have come forward on social media to distance themselves from the allegations.