'Selective' Coverage After Murders: Reporter
The shootings of an opposition reporter and his son Friday night have already meant a rethinking of his paper's coverage, an editor sai
The murders of an opposition journalist and his son in Phnom Penh Friday night havesent a ripple of self-censorship through his old newspaper, journalists saidMonday. Khim Sambor, 47, and his 21-year-old son, KhatSarinpheata, were gunned down as they drove on a motorbike near Olympic StadiumFriday evening, just 16 days away from a national election. Khim Sambor died at the scene, and his son died at a local hospital a few hours later. Both men were cremated in a Buddhist ceremony Sunday. The killings have meant a change in the way MoneaksekarKhmer will operate, the editor said Monday. "We don't know if there will be other pressure afterthe murders. We must be very careful, even for security, and in the work,"the editor, Dam Sith, said. "We are afraid that if we write somethingrisky, it could bring us in front of accusations." Dam Sith was held in jail for a week last month followinga story he ran implicating Foreign Minister Hor Namhong as a member of theKhmer Rouge. He was released when Hor Namhong dropped defamation charges againsthim, and Dam Sith swore at the time to continue his pro-opposition coverage of thecountry. Now, his stories will reflect a more cautious editorialapproach. Self-censorship on the meaning of story text and the choice of wordswill change, he said. "The murder of Khim Sambor is a serious threat againstMoneaksekar Khmer," Dam Sith said. "We are worried now for the wholestaff as they are reporting, and when they get back home." Other Moneaksekar Khmer journalists echoed Dam Sith'sconcerns. "We are concerned in accomplishing our jobs," saidVong Sopheak, a reporter for the newspaper. "We don't know what willhappen to us, and so we must be more careful. We don't want to have aconfrontation. And now we are selective of the information and selective of thetopic." Khim Sambor had covered politics, including the reporting ofstories on government corruption, for the newspaper, which is affiliated withthe Sam Rainsy Party. Human rights groups said his murder was likely due to hisreporting. Khim Sambor had reported for many years, and focused on conflicts,election irregularities, illegal logging, fisheries crimes, land grabbing,"which are related to powerful Cambodian officials," the CambodianHuman Rights Action Committee said in a statement. His murder was likely relatedto his reporting, the group said. The killings were roundly condemned by local andinternational rights groups. "Allowing this murder to go unpunished would have aconsiderable impact on the 27 July elections, and we therefore hope theinvestigation will produce quick results," Reporters Without Borders saidin a statement Saturday. Moneaksekar Khmer is only one of two opposition newspapers. A third, Sralanh Khmer, began reporting from a pro-Cambodian People's Partypoint of view following the defection to the ruling party of its top editor, ThachKeth, who is now a CPP undersecretary of state for the Ministry of Information. Opposition leader Sam Rainsy called Khim Sambor's killing apolitical assassination and called for an immediate investigation. "When one who dares to write or argue against thosewith absolute power is assassinated, the perpetrators behind the killing arenever found nor tried according to the law," he said in a statementSaturday. "This clearly demonstrates the nature of those in power." Sam Rainsy also called for further investigations intomurders of other opposition supporters, including labor leader Chea Vichea,parliamentarian Om Rasadie, "as well as countless numbers of journalists,political activists and others." Police have made no arrests in Friday's killings. The US Embassy issued a statement Monday offering the help of its Federal Bureau of Investigation office "if requested by the Cambodian government."