Cambodian PM says officials must master mobile internet

Hun Sen, an avid user of Facebook, said at a hospital inauguration here that officials needed to be able to use applications such as WhatsApp, Viber, LINE, Telegram, WeChat, and Zoom to do their jobs such as organizing online meetings effectively. Hun Sen recently said he had set up groups on WhatsApp and Telegram to use his phone to coordinate with various government ministries. The 69-year-old Hun Sen had led Cambodia since 1985 when what evolved into the internet was still in its infancy and generally available only to academic institutions.

 Hun Sen also urged members of his Cabinet, some of whom also entered government service more than three decades ago, to make sure they were adept at using smartphones. Hun Sen posts comments and photos on his Facebook page almost every day and also uses the platform frequently to broadcast his speeches and other news events on Facebook Live. His page also allows people to send complaints about their dealings with the authorities. Hun Sen and Sam Rainsy, the country's prominent opposition leader, have competed over who could attract the most Facebook followers.

 Hun Sen's page currently shows 13 million followers. At the same time, Sam Rainsy, who has been in self-imposed exile since 2015 to avoid criminal charges he says are politically motivated, lists five million. Hun Sen's critics, however, have charged that he boosts his number of followers by buying them in bulk from shady operations that provide such services. Hun Sen has denied the allegation.