Help from the Cambodian PM on Facebook

Phnom Penh

UNABLE to pay his way out of jail, Kong Chamroeun was remanded in a Cambodian prison pending trial for stealing US$80 of company property, a crime his family said he did not commit. "We had nothing, just empty hands," said his girlfriend, Lorn Chenda, who alleged police tried to extort US$2,000 from Mr Chamroeun in "compensation" in exchange for not pressing charges.

With Mr Chamroeun, 28, behind bars for 10 days and no one else to turn to, Ms Chenda used her smartphone to appeal directly to Cambodia's highest authority: Prime Minister Hun Sen. She recorded a five-minute video detail…