Southeast Asia’s war on dissent captured in Malaysia-Cambodia extradition

As Southeast Asian countries band together to silence critics, advocates call for an urgent reassessment of human rights policies

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Cambodia’s current Prime Minister Hun Manet, Hun Sen’s son, attends an Asean summit in Laos on Friday. Photo: EPA-EFE

Published: 8:30am, 13 Oct 2024Updated: 11:46am, 21 Oct 2024

The image was meant to send a stark message: criticise Hun Sen and you will be punished, even if you’re not in Cambodia.

Nuon Toeun appears front and centre in the photograph released by Cambodia authorities, handcuffed and flanked by armed guards outside a Phnom Penh prison.

Her crime? Making a social media post critical of the strongman leader who ruled Cambodia with an iron fist for decades before stepping down last year in favour of his son, Hun Manet.

If convicted, the 36-year-old Cambodian could face up to five years in prison and hefty fines for inciting social disorder.

Her extradition from Malaysia, revealed on October 3, has sparked outrage among human rights advocates, who question the decision to deport someone for simply voicing dissent against her own government.

Nuon Toeun pictured outside a correctional facility in Phnom Penh after being extradited from Malaysia over a social media post criticising Hun Sen. Photo: X/ThitKimhun

“She did not criticise the Malaysian government, she only criticised her own,” said Charles Santiago, a former Malaysian lawmaker and co-chair of the Asean Parliamentarians for Human Rights.