Man arrested after ranting on Tik-Tok about vaccination

THE National Police have arrested a man for using social media to discourage garment workers from getting Covid19 vaccinations in Kampong Chhnang province.

“This video is for all garment workers. If you are vaccinated with [China’s] Sinopharm vaccine, a few years from now you will die. Brothers and sisters working for garment factories don’t need it. Believe me. You don’t need Chinese vaccines,” the man allegedly said in a TikTok video.

According to the National Police’s report, municipal police chief Sar Thet ordered officers to locate the man shortly after seeing the post.

“The man was apprehended on March 24 for his involvement in spreading fake news about Covid-19 vaccinations,” the report said.

Thet said the suspect will be sent to court on March 25.

According to Ministry of Justice spokesperson Kim

Santepheap, intentionally preventing others from getting vaccinated by any means is an offence punishable by imprisonment.

“Article 11 of the Covid-19 law states that interfering with law enforcement carries a prison sentence of up to three years and a fine of between two and 10 million riel ($500 and $2,500),” Santepheap said in a recent Facebook post.

Ministry of Labour and Vocational Training spokesman Heng Sour called on all workers and those in the informal economy to get inoculated.

“Please brothers and sisters, believe in science and the vaccines that the government has procured. My friends and I have already been vaccinated and it has not damaged our health,” he said.

As of March 23, a total of 241,593 people have volunteered for vaccination with the AstraZeneca’s vaccine, marketed as Covishield, and China’s Sinopharm, according to the health ministry.