TikToker Fined For Suggesting Cambodian Temple Is In Thailand

Vietnamese authorities fined a man $300 after he posted a video suggesting that Angkor Wat, an ancient Cambodian temple, was in Thailand. The state-owned media outlet Lao Dong reported that Hua Quoc Anh, a Vietnamese content creator, posted a TikTok of his photoshoot. The video in Siem Reap, Cambodia’s second-largest city, was overlaid with images of the Thai flag and used the phrase “Hello, Thailand.” Quoc Anh was charged with providing “false information” & “insulting the reputation of organizations & the honor & dignity of individuals.” The Vietnamese government said the creator had to “strictly comply with relevant legal regulations when using the internet,” per Lao Dong. Quoc Anh said in a Facebook post that he “has too many emotions in his heart that cannot be described in a few lines of text.” Quoc Anh, who has 250,000 followers on Facebook and 700,000 on TikTok, has since deleted the video. Phil Robertson, the deputy Asia director for Human Rights Watch, told Nikkei, “no one really believes that Siem Reap belongs to Thailand.” He added that “the appropriate step would’ve been to laugh at this social influencer’s ignorance rather than resort to criminal penalties.”