The U.S. embassy in Cambodia has fired 32 people after they were allegedly caught sharing pornographic material in a non-official chat group, several sources familiar with the matter said on Friday.
Four sources told Reuters that pornographic videos and photographs, including some featuring people under the age of 18, were shared in a Facebook Messenger chat group.
Some of the images were seen by the wife of an embassy worker who reported the incident to an official at the embassy. The matter was then forwarded to the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the sources said.
“They had their identification cards taken and some of their phones checked,” a former U.S. embassy staff member told Reuters on condition of anonymity.
He said the 32 embassy workers included Cambodians and Cambodian-Americans. Many were guards and some were clericalstaff.
They said there were no diplomats among them.
Two of the sources, both of whom work at the embassy, confirmed the dismissals.
The dismissals come at a time of tension between Cambodia and the United States over U.S. criticism of a crackdown on dissent by long-serving Prime Minister Hun Sen, and his anger over what he says have been U.S. efforts to
undermine his rule.
The U.S. has denied interfering in Cambodian politics.
The Cambodian government has not commented on the dismissals.
Cambodia, still emerging from decades of conflict and poverty, has been notorious for child prostitution, and several foreigners have been convicted and jailed for child abuse in recent years.
Child rape continued to be a serious problem in Cambodia, the U.S. State Department said in a 2016 report.
An embassy spokesman said he could not comment and referred queries to the State Department.
The State Department declined to comment when contacted by Reuters.
“These records are confidential,” a State Department official told Reuters on Friday.
“I am not sure that’s really something we would have comment on,” he said.
Reuters could not contact any of the workers who had been fired. The FBI could not be reached for comment and Cambodian police spokesman Kirth Chantharith also could not be reached for comment.
It was not immediately possible to get a figure for the number of people employed at the embassy, which is housed in a purpose-built, city-centre compound.
Weeks after the arrest of over 30 Nigerian nationals living and working in Cambodia without valid visas and passports, some of them were deported on Thursday, May 18.
The Department of Investigation and Procedures in cooperation with the Department Gate 1 and Gate Post Phnom Penh International Airport expelled 10 Nigerians and one Korean.
Police confirmed names of the deportees as follows:
1. SALAKO OLORUNJUEDALO AYODEJI Nigerian male, born on May 7, 1994, passport number XXXXXX0558 stealing illegal stay visa (over limit) expelled from the country for 3 years.
2. CHUKWUOKOH Daniel EBUKA Nigerian male born September 5, 1990 A passport number XXXXXX6288 has been found stealing staying illegally (without a passport)
3 CHIFE ONYEKACHUKWU Simon Nigerian male, born on May 22, 1985, passport number A XXXXX00094 stealing passports illegally staying (not sealed) from the Kingdom of Cambodia Gate Phnom Penh International Airport flight PG 934 at 15 and 45 minutes from Phnom Penh to the country of origin.
4. Godwin VICTOR IKENNA Nigerian male, born on 22 October 1993, passport number A XXXXXX17452 conceals criminal conspiracy offense.
5. UTITI CHIMARAOKE NWABUGO Nigerian male, born on 6 June 1986, the passport number XXXXX1917 conceals criminal conspiracy offense.
6. MacDonald 6. Dike CHIDUBEM Nigerian male, born Sept. 18, 1994, passport number XXXXXX02619 stealing illegal stay visa (over limit).
7. AMADI Augustine CHINEDU Nigerian male, born on 13 October 1993, passport number XXXXXX5118 has been found stealing illegal residency (passport).
8. ALUKA IFECHUKWU Nigerian Emmanuel male
9. OKOYE cornerback SUNDAY Nigerian male, born March 2, 1991, passport number A XXXXXX98031 stealing passports illegally staying (not sealed).
10. CHUKWUZOR CHINEDU Kennedy Nigerian male, born June 16, 1992, passport number XXXXXX51358 stealing passports illegally staying (not sealed) from the Kingdom of Cambodia Gate Phnom Penh International Airport Flight QR 971 at 17 and 30 minutes from Phnom Penh to the country of origin.
11. KWEON KIWOOK Korean male born on 23 November 1947 letter to travel XXXXXX170042 stealing staying illegally (without a passport) from the Kingdom of Cambodia Gate Phnom Penh International Airport flight OZ 740 at 23 and 55 minutes from Phnom Penh to the country.
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