SIEM Reap provincial court has placed a one-star military general in pre-trial detention after he was arrested on March 26 for insulting Prime Minister Hun Sen on Facebook.

Provincial court spokesperson Yin Sreang told The Post on Sunday that Lee Davet, also known as Lee David, a 45-year-old from Stung Treng province, has been charged with inciting soldiers to disobey the prime minister, possessing/transporting weapons without authorisation and inciting others to commit an offence under articles 471, 490, 494 and 495 of the Criminal Code.

“The court has decided to detain him. I don’t know clearly when a hearing would be held as the case is under ongoing investigation,” he said.

A police officer in Siem Reap town told The Post on condition of anonymity on Sunday that Davet, a brigadier general from Military Region 3, was arrested near the Siem Reap River in Siem Reap town’s Svay Dangkum commune.

He said the arrest was made after Davet used a Facebook account under the name Lee David to criticise Hun Sen’s leadership and called for public opposition to the prime minister who he said was not fit to represent Cambodia.

The police officer said authorities confiscated one AK-47 assault rifle and 31 bullets, a silencer, a knife, an electric baton, a passport, a national identity card, a military identity card, a motorbike and five expired mission permits.

Davet, he said, continued to possess the weapons without authorisation after he was dismissed from the military framework.

In a similar case, a 24-year-old man was arrested in Banteay Meanchey province’s Serei Saophoan town for using his YouTube channel to disseminate false information critical of Prime Minister Hun Sen’s leadership.

A police officer who asked not to be named identified the man as Voeun Kim Lon, a 24-year-old from Serei Saophoan town’s O’Ambil commune.

“I took part [in the operation] and revealed the suspect’s whereabouts. I don’t have any further details as the case is being handled by the Anti-Cybercrime Department,” he said.

The Anti-Cybercrime Department said on its website on Saturday that the authorities arrested Kim Lon on an arrest warrant issued on March 26 by Phnom Penh Municipal Court prosecutor Keo Sothea for spreading false information leading to insecurity.

The department said Kim Lon disseminated videos containing false information that “seriously affected” the government’s reputation in a bid to garner views, likes and shares for profits. The department is building a case to be forwarded to court.

Anti-Cybercrime Department director Chea Pov declined to comment on Sunday, saying he was occupied with a mission abroad.