A man who altered Prime Minister Hun Sen’s speeches to "distort the truth" and then posted the remarks on the popular video-sharing app TikTok has been sent to Kampong Chhnang Provincial Court.

Provincial court spokesman Ea Bunthoeun told The Post on April 26 that 39-year-old Phoem Phayphat, a resident of Svay Chrum commune’s Svay Chrum Thmei village in Rolea Ba’ier district, was arrested for posting malicious comments that "incited social chaos" amid the ongoing outbreak of Covid-19.

He said the man had altered Hun Sen's audio remarks from last year that the government would ban people from travelling for another three months.

“He edited the leader’s speeches and posted them on TikTok at 5pm on April 23, and they were different from the truth. We arrested him on April 24,” he said, adding the police had built a case file for referral to court on April 26.

Provincial court prosecutor Ith Sothea confirmed that the court had received the case, which had since been referred to the investigating judge. But he could not comment on the judge’s decision because it was at his discretion.

Article 496 of the Criminal Code stipulates that direct incitement as defined in Article 494 of the Code – discrimination, violence against a person or group because of their ethnicity, nationality, race, or religion – shall be punishable by imprisonment from one to three years and a fine of between two and six million riel ($500 and $1,500).