Cambodian authorities yesterday sentenced two Taiwanese to two years in prison and a NT$30,000 fine each for staging a kidnapping in the southern coastal city of Sihanoukville which they live streamed online.
Chen Neng-chuan (陳能釧), 31, and Lu Tsu-hsien (魯祖顯), 34, were convicted of inciting and causing social disorder a day after Cambodian police officials convened a news conference about their arrest.
Chen, who goes by the online name “Goodnight Chicken” (晚安小雞), and Lu, known by the handle “Anow” (阿鬧), must each pay 4 million riels (US$982), according to a court filing.
Photo: AFP / Preah Sihanouk Provincial Administration
The court said the duo arrived in the Cambodian capital, Phnom Penh, on Sunday intending to film videos with made-up, fake content with a focus on purported human trafficking, beatings and sexual assaults by online scam operators and the human organ harvesting business operating in the nation, the Cambodian China Times reported yesterday.
An investigation found that the duo live-streamed a clip showing Chen headed inside a compound allegedly near the KB Hotel, where he was seemingly beaten up by security guards.
They traveled to Sihanoukville’s Chinatown area the next day, where Chen acted scared, yelling for help while apparently running away from someone who was chasing him, the report said.
At Thursday’s news conference, both men confessed to making fake videos after police seized items and tools they used to make the content.
The duo knelt down, apologized and begged the authorities for forgiveness and to give them a second chance, promising to use their online influence to produce videos showing the “authentic side of Cambodia.”
Preah Sihanouk Governor Kuoch Chamroeun rejected their request, saying that the duo had made serious mistakes and must bear the legal responsibility according to Cambodian law, and that both would be prosecuted and must serve the full prison sentence before being deported.
“It is a very serious matter and it is not enough just to give a verbal reprimand to educate them. If we forgive them, then other people will come here to produce fabricated content and tarnish Cambodia’s image,” Chamroeun was quoted saying.
In Taipei, Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesman Jeff Liu (劉永健) yesterday said that Taiwan respects the investigation and prosecution process by Cambodian police and its justice system.
The nation’s representative office would provide assistance to ensure the men receive fair and reasonable treatment, he said.
The case has received extensive media coverage in Taiwan and many people went online to criticize the duo, saying they had brought shame and derision that had tainted the Taiwanese community of online streamers and digital content creators.
“It was a world-class embarrassment for Taiwan,” one wrote.
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