A Cambodian father is now wanted on child abuse charges after he chained his son to a power pole on the street after he learned that the boy skipped classes to play online games, AFP reports.

The boy, 13 years old, was chained by the neck to the pole. His father left him alone in what he believed to be an act of teaching his son a lesson, but neighbours took pity and called in the police, who then freed the child in less than two hours.

The 40-year-old father, Sok Thoeun, has reportedly fled the scene.

"The father was so angry that he found his son at an Internet cafe instead of at school that he chained him up in public for people to see, to teach him a lesson," Battambang Deputy Police Chief Cheth Vanny told AFP, who added that the boy had revealed he was also beaten by his father. Mr Thoeun's act is considered "torture" and "unacceptable," according to Officer Vanny.

"He is still on the run," the official said.

Internet use in Cambodia is among the lowest in southeast Asia, with government statistics showing less than 1.5 per cent of its 14 million people listed as Internet subscribers in 2010, AFP reports.

Due to the addiction of some school youth to online games, there has been some city legislations in some Asian countries like the Philippines to hold the internet shops responsible if school children are caught gaming during school hours.