Malaysia arrests, deports maid for criticising Cambodia leaders on social media

Nuon Toeun, 36, who had worked in Malaysia for several years, was arrested on a request from the Cambodian government

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Petronas Twin Towers in Kuala Lumpur. Nuon Toeun, 36, who had worked in Malaysia for several years, was arrested last week by Malaysian authorities following a request from the Cambodian government. Photo: Bloomberg

Published: 11:02pm, 3 Oct 2024Updated: 1:59am, 4 Oct 2024

A Cambodian woman who worked as a maid in Malaysia has been deported to her homeland for comments she posted on social media criticising Cambodian government leaders, in the latest example of a Southeast Asian government helping another arrest a dissident.

A Cambodia prison official and an opposition activist group said on Thursday that Nuon Toeun, 36, who had worked in Malaysia for several years, was arrested last week by Malaysian authorities following a request from the Cambodian government.

Human rights groups have criticised several Southeast Asian governments for helping each other harass, detain and deport political dissidents in exile. New York-based Human Rights Watch has urged the Thai government to stop forcing political dissidents to return to their authoritarian home countries, including Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia and China, where they might face torture, persecution or death.

Freedom House, a US-based organisation that promotes democracy, says the practice of attacking or sending back exiled dissidents “is becoming a ‘normal’ phenomenon as more governments around the world use it to silence dissent”.

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Nuth Sovana, a spokesperson for Cambodia’s prison department, said Nuon Toeun was detained at Prey Sar prison in Phnom Penh upon her arrival in Cambodia on Tuesday. She was charged with incitement to commit a felony or cause social disorder and incitement to discriminate on the basis of race religion or nationality, he said. He could not provide details of the offences she was accused of committing.

If convicted on both charges, she could face five years in prison and a fine.