Report Highlights Fear Among Media
The rights group Licadho has issued an 80-page report that details government restriction on media from the French colonial period to p
The rights group Licadho has issued an 80-page report,"How Politics, Money and Fear Control Cambodia's Media," whichdetails government restriction on media from the French colonial period topresent. Licadho president Kek Galabru said the report was compiledafter interviews with 150 journalists and reporters. She also said there is astrong restriction on media in Cambodia,especially on TV and radio, minor restrictions on newspapers and magazines, andfew on the Internet because only small amount of people can access the Web. "Not many Cambodian people can access to theInternet," she said. "But people can access TV and radio more, so wecan see the government always restricts freedom of expression through these twomedia instruments. But newspapers and magazines have some more freedom topublish." Kek Galabru said The report found that 91 out of 150 journalist said theywork with fear, while 31 others said they were not afraid and 19 others darenot to speak out. "A lot of reporters reported that they work withfear," Kek Galabru said. "If they work with fear, we can't say thereis a freedom of media and expression." Regarding the opinion about the restriction on media in Cambodia, a director of the rights group Adhoc,Thun Saray, said the media system in Cambodia has some positive andnegative points. "The positive point is that they allow some politicalparties to open their election campaign through radio channels," he said."Before, we didn't see such thing, but now we see some space forthat." Recently, however, opposition editor Sam Bith was arrestedand Angkor Ratha radio in Kratie was closed, while the legal system does notrespect the media law, he said. "We have already erased and pulled out the defamationlaw, which could be used to detain people, but now they use the disinformationlaw to restrict the media," he said. "The definitions between the twolaws are totally different. The disinformation [article] can be used on aperson who tries to make the situation and security in the country chaotic, butthe charge of disinformation that involves with an individual is calleddefamation."