Cambodia sets up China-style Internet firewall

Young Buddhist monks walk in line at a temple in Samrong district in Cambodia’s Takeo province on the outskirts of Phnom Penh. A sub-decree signed by Hun Sen and obtained by AFP on Wednesday stated that the NIG would control web connections in order to enhance ‘national revenue collection, to protect national security and preserve social order’. — AFP

PHNOM PENH: Cambodia’s government moved to exert near-total control over the country’s online life Wednesday, setting up a national Internet gateway which activists say will stifle freedom of expression and block content via a China-style firewall.

Cambodia has seen a rapid increase in Internet use in recent years, and Premier Hun Sen’s government – which dissolved the main opposition party in 2017 – has intensified a crackdown on online dissent.