Prime Minister Hun Manet and his team spent more than US$1.5 million for ads from his Facebook page over the last two and a half years, according to an online database maintained by the social media site’s parent company.
The spending to boost Hun Manet began in September 2022, the Meta Platform Inc. database showed.
Less than a year later, Hun Manet’s father, Hun Sen, stepped down as prime minister after ruling the country for 38 years. The resignation, which came just after the July 2023 general election, paved the way for Hun Manet to be appointed prime minister, a move that was long expected.
Hun Sen, now the Senate president, has for years attacked political opponents and communicated with the public on Facebook, which is enormously popular in Cambodia.
A few months before his resignation, Meta rejected the advice of its oversight board to suspend Hun Sen’s Facebook and Instagram accounts after he had threatened violence against political opponents in the run-up to the election, which did not include substantial opposition.
Leadership activities
Hun Manet’s Facebook account –- called Samdech Thipadei Hun Manet, Prime Minister of Cambodia –- spent money to boost posts that showed him at public events and in various other leadership activities.
The spending also made it more likely that Facebook users would see his written responses to posts from online critics.
RELATED STORIES
Meta rejects its oversight board’s advice to suspend Hun Sen’s Facebook account
Cambodia declares Meta oversight board members ‘persona non grata’
The database includes spending information from nonprofit groups, businesses and other politicians around the world, including candidates for various offices in the United States.
The Cambodian government should reveal the source of the money used to promote Hun Manet and other government officials, exiled political commentator Kim Sok told RFA.
If the funding comes out of the government’s budget or from a businessman’s donation, that’s something the Cambodian public should know, he said. It could also be a worthwhile investigation for the government’s Anti-Corruption Unit, he said.
“The promotion of Mr. Hun Manet, Mr. Hun Sen, and other officials on social media have been purely for their own personal gain, such as posting family photos,” said Kim Sok, who is based in Finland.
Few of the posts discuss any government policies and practical actions that could “help the poor and protect the nation,” he added.
RFA couldn’t immediately reach Meas Sophon, the spokesperson for the prime minister’s office, on Wednesday. Attempts to contact Anti-Corruption Unit spokesperson Soy Chanvichet were also unsuccessful.
Translated by Yun Samean. Edited by Matt Reed and Malcolm Foster.