Sharing Porn Videos on Facebook Lands US Embassy Staff of Cambodia in Trouble, 32 Employees Fired
Those accused in the incident include both Cambodians and Cambodian-Americans.
The US embassy in Cambodia has fired 32 people for allegedly sharing pornographic content in a non-official Facebook chat group. Those accused in the incident include both Cambodians and Cambodian-Americans. Most of the employees in the message group were employed as guards and a few as clerical staff at the embassy. The incident has been confirmed by two of the sources who work at the embassy.
According to a Reuters report, sources said that none of them includes diplomats. The content shared on the Facebook group included porn videos and even featured subjects under 18 years of age. Reportedly, the pornographic images were seen by the wife of an embassy worker who reported it and forwarded to the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).
The incident comes at a time of tension between Cambodia and the United States over the former's political conditions. The US had criticised Cambodia's long-serving Prime Minister Hun Sen's crackdown on the democratic opposition. In return, Cambodia accused interfering in their country's politics and trying to undermine his rule.
In Cambodia, child rape, sex trafficking and child sex tourism are major issues. The nation has been in deep poverty and internal conflict for decades. A State Department official told Reuters on Friday, "These records are confidential. I am not sure that's really something we would have a comment on." The FBI or Cambodian police spokesman Kirth Chantharith could not be reached for comment on the incident.
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Apr 13, 2018 04:21 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).