FACEBOOK'S CAMBODIAN LAWSUIT

PHNOM PENH : Former Cambodian opposition leader Sam Rainsy has filed a legal case in the US to get Facebook to release information on Prime Minister Hun Sen's use of the social media platform, his legal team said.

Lawyers and Sam Rainsy, who fled Cambodia in 2015 to escape a conviction for defamation he says was politically motivated, and he sought the information to help him in his own legal cases in Cambodia.

Supporters of Hun Sen have built a strong presence on Facebook. Sam Rainsy wants information on allegations of ''false likes'' on Hun Sen's Facebook account-

Accusations  that the platform had been used to make death threats and the use of state money for advertisements, his legal team said on Wednesday.

Government spokesman Phay Siphan said the lawsuit was ''not useful''.

The case highlights the growing global nature of the challenge to Facebook Inc over its role in political debate after accusations that social media was used for meddling in votes in Britain, the United States and elsewhere.

Facebook has become an even more important platform for political news in Cambodia as some media outlets critical Hun Sen have been forced to shut.

Hun Sen, 65 has been criticized by Western countries over a ban on the main opposition party and the arrest of of its leader less than a year away from a general election on July 29.

Paris based Sam Rainsy sought ''critical information'' in Facebook's possession regarding Hun Sen's misuse of  social media to deceive Cambodia's Electorate and to commit human rights abuses,'' according to the statement.

''The petition raises fundamental questions about how Facebook should deal with human rights abusers who manipulate elections, said Sam Rainsy's attorney, Richard J Rogers, of rights group  Global Diligence LLP.

Facebook did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

[Agencies].