Latest news with #StephanieCheng
South China Morning Post
a day ago
- Politics
- South China Morning Post
Hong Kong Instagram influencer pleads for release of father arrested in Cambodia
A Hong Kong-based Instagram influencer has written an open letter to Cambodia's prime minister, calling for the immediate release of her father, who needs urgent medical care. Stephanie Cheng, also known as Laparasian on Instagram, posted a copy of the letter in English, French and Chinese on her social media early Saturday morning. In a separate post the previous day, the influencer said that her father, Cheng Chi-gian, a French citizen, had been 'kidnapped in Phnom Penh just before exposing a high-level corruption case', and that her family's lawyers were unable to get in touch with him. Addressing Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet in her letter, Cheng said her father had not been informed of his charges when arrested on June 11 and called on the leader to intervene in the case. Her father's transfer to Prey Sar Prison was also a 'serious concern' for her, 'given his fragile health condition, as a 63-year-old man, in the harsh environment in which he is now being held', while unable to understand the Khmer language. 'We are pleading for his immediate release on bail,' she said.
South China Morning Post
2 days ago
- Politics
- South China Morning Post
Embassy contacts Hong Kong-based influencer's ‘kidnapped' father in Cambodia
The French embassy in Cambodia has said that it has been in contact with the father of a Hong Kong-based influencer who posted on social media that he had been kidnapped and his family and lawyers could not contact him. The embassy's comments on Friday came a day after influencer Stephanie Cheng sought public attention for her father's case and wrote multiple Instagram posts, saying he had been kidnapped ahead of a meeting with officials to expose a high-level fraud case. She said her father, Chi Gian Cheng, a French citizen, was taken at Phnom Penh International Airport on Wednesday before his scheduled meeting with a Cambodian minister the following morning. She said he planned to discuss a financial dispute he had with a senior official in the Ministry of the Interior, who was accused of defrauding him. 'The timing and nature of the arrest make it clear that this is not a coincidence. It is a deliberate political manoeuvre to protect the accused official and silence the victim,' Cheng said. The French embassy in the capital Phnom Penh issued a statement on Instagram, saying that it was 'closely monitoring Mr Chi Gian Cheng's situation'.
