Cambodia accused of covering up Angkor Wat YouTuber assault
A travel YouTuber, known as The Country Collectors, who was assaulted at Cambodia’s Angkor Wat, posted a statement yesterday, January 7, that the Cambodian government has now attempted to cover up the story.
In his statement posted on social media, the YouTuber said the APSARA National Authority, responsible for overseeing Angkor Archaeological Park, released an official response to the story. The documents reportedly reframed the assault as a private dispute that had been resolved the same day, and described the authorities’ actions as appropriate.
The Country Collectors said the response came as no surprise, given how the original incident was handled. He criticised Cambodian authorities for focusing on controlling the narrative instead of addressing the lack of security at the site or the police conduct that followed.
According to the post, the official statements did not match the YouTuber’s experience and instead aimed to minimise the severity of the event. He said the most disturbing aspect wasn’t the criticism, but the use of government pressure to suppress his account rather than seek accountability.
He reiterated that his video was not an attack on the Cambodian people, stating he had met many kind and respectful locals during his visit. Instead, he framed the issue as a failure of security and a deeply troubling institutional response.
The YouTuber added that those attacking him online, both foreign and Cambodian, missed the broader message of his story, which, he said, questioned how easily people abandon empathy in favour of defending broken systems.
Ending the post, he expressed support for the Cambodian people living under what he described as a system that fosters silence, intimidation and indifference rather than justice.
In similar news, back in December, four Cambodian men were arrested and charged in South Korea after allegedly attacking two Thai nationals with glass bottles on December 7 in Yeongam county, South Jeolla province.
