Gov't Accuses Paper of Stoking Religious Tensions
By Yun Samean
THE CAMBODIA DAILY
The Information Ministry has threatened to close down a pro-Norodom Ranariddh Party newspaper accused of inciting tension between the Mahanikaya and Thammayut Buddhist sects, Cambodia's two main 9 schools of Buddhism.
Information Minister Khieu Kanharith said Monday that he will shut Khmer Amatak News down if it continues to run articles pitting Cambodia's Great Supreme Patriarch Tep Vong, who heads the Mohanikaya sect, against Bou Kry, supreme patriarch of the Thamayuta sect.
"If the newspaper continues to print such information we will file a complaint to the court to shut down the newspaper," Khieu Kanharith said.
In a front-page article Wednesday, Khmer Amatak News praised Bou Kry—a former teacher of King Norodom Sihamoni and Prince Norodom Ranariddh—as a disciplined monk who the newspaper claimed is above politics.
The article went on to accuse Tep Vong of harboring a pro-CPP bias, stating that the supreme patriarch had asked the public to be grateful for Cambodia's liberation from the Pol Pot regime on Jan 7, 1979, by Cambodian troops supported by a Vietnamese army.
"It seems that [Tep Vong] wants to be the CPP’s spokesman," the newspaper stated. Neither Bou Kry nor Tep Vong were interviewed by Khmer Amatak for their story.
In a Thursday statement to Khmer .Amatak, Khieu Kanharith said the paper had breached Article 4 of the Constitution, which states that Cambodia's motto is "Nation, Religion, King."
The minister also accused the paper of breaching Article 7 of the Press Law, which states that the media must not incite discrimination against others based on their religious or political tendencies.
Bun Tha, the newspaper's editor and an adviser to Prince Ranariddh, said that if Tep Vong exhibits bias toward the CPP, Khmer Amatak will cover it. "I will continue to publish stories about monks who are using religion to do political business," Bun Tha added.
Tep Vong said by telephone he had nothing to defend. "It is the newspaper's issue. Everything is finished," he said.
Information Minister Khieu Kanharith said Monday that he will shut Khmer Amatak News down if it continues to run articles pitting Cambodia's Great Supreme Patriarch Tep Vong, who heads the Mohanikaya sect, against Bou Kry, supreme patriarch of the Thamayuta sect.
"If the newspaper continues to print such information we will file a complaint to the court to shut down the newspaper," Khieu Kanharith said.
In a front-page article Wednesday, Khmer Amatak News praised Bou Kry—a former teacher of King Norodom Sihamoni and Prince Norodom Ranariddh—as a disciplined monk who the newspaper claimed is above politics.
The article went on to accuse Tep Vong of harboring a pro-CPP bias, stating that the supreme patriarch had asked the public to be grateful for Cambodia's liberation from the Pol Pot regime on Jan 7, 1979, by Cambodian troops supported by a Vietnamese army.
"It seems that [Tep Vong] wants to be the CPP’s spokesman," the newspaper stated. Neither Bou Kry nor Tep Vong were interviewed by Khmer Amatak for their story.
In a Thursday statement to Khmer .Amatak, Khieu Kanharith said the paper had breached Article 4 of the Constitution, which states that Cambodia's motto is "Nation, Religion, King."
The minister also accused the paper of breaching Article 7 of the Press Law, which states that the media must not incite discrimination against others based on their religious or political tendencies.
Bun Tha, the newspaper's editor and an adviser to Prince Ranariddh, said that if Tep Vong exhibits bias toward the CPP, Khmer Amatak will cover it. "I will continue to publish stories about monks who are using religion to do political business," Bun Tha added.
Tep Vong said by telephone he had nothing to defend. "It is the newspaper's issue. Everything is finished," he said.
Go ahead close any press you may wish. Cambodia does not have any freedomm anyway. Do what you want just leave the CPP press on, ah Kanharith.
ReplyDeleteNoope, Cambodia have more freedom
ReplyDeleteof the press then most nations in
SE Asia. And you can can't lied
about CPP having close tied to a
monk because we don't mix religion
with politic. Get it?
Mr Noope, kiss my ass.
ReplyDeleteDO NOT MIX RELIGION WITH POLITIC?
ReplyDeleteTAKE RELIGION OUT OF YOU MOTO, COMMUNIST!
LET THE MONK VOTE FOR THEIR LEADER, NOT APPOINTED BY CPPEE!
Nope, monks' leader is Buddha.
ReplyDeleteThey should not have any other
leaders. People want to pray with
Buddha's representatives, not
politician's representatives.
You stupid! Buddha is a founder of buddish, philosopher of buddish doctrine.
ReplyDeleteBuddish need, educated buddish doctrine to teach young generation and stupid like you to learn right thing about buddishim.
Any societty and organize grooup need a leaders who best in the doctrine of organization ( mainly experience and education)
only Youn will tell you to live without societty and education!
only VN PHD that need no school!
Tep Vong king of buddish monk because the Vietcong say so!
Whatever, but we don't want to
ReplyDeletepray with political monks who think
GW Bush, Sam Rainsy,..., or Tony
Blair, is God, okay? And we will
beat the crap out of them, should
we find any political promotion
item/s on them. Get it? They should
be campaigning for God, not
politician.
4:47, 3:38, and 5:13 aka Ah Noope or Ah Sen's thug:
ReplyDeleteYour comments on KI media is groundless. ...Cambodia have more freedom of the press then most nations in SE Asia... That's suck. Your claim is unverifiable.
Stop ass-u-ming.
Okay, here is Freedom of the Press
ReplyDeleteIndex site for all countries.
http://www.rsf.org/article.php3?id_article=11715
Check it out for yourself.
I see we are better than India,
Malaysia, Philipine, Israel, Iraq
Indonesia.
Satisfied with that?
I aint
pulling anyone leg here.
Here is another one.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.frontpagemag.com/articles/authors.asp?ID=1234