Heng Reaksmey, VOA Khmer
Original report from Phnom Penh
02/05/2007
A leading rights group Wednesday demanded the closure of the Ministry of Information, calling it biased and a repressive obstacle to press freedom.
In a statement issued ahead of World Press Freedom Day, the Cambodian Center for Human Rights accused the Information Ministry of bias toward the ruling party.
The ministry sought to repress opposition voices from the media and other aid agencies by denying them licenses, often without reason, to broadcast or print their views, the center said.
It also failed to inform some organizations of press conferences and statements, the center said.
Information Minister Khieu Kanharith said he ran a neutral office that helps journalists find information. He said he regretted that the center did not clearly understand the work of the ministry.
The Cambodian Center for Human Rights was founded by Kem Sokha, who himself was jailed in 2006 on defamation charges and recently started his own political party, the Human Rights Party, to compete in the 2008 national elections.
In a statement issued ahead of World Press Freedom Day, the Cambodian Center for Human Rights accused the Information Ministry of bias toward the ruling party.
The ministry sought to repress opposition voices from the media and other aid agencies by denying them licenses, often without reason, to broadcast or print their views, the center said.
It also failed to inform some organizations of press conferences and statements, the center said.
Information Minister Khieu Kanharith said he ran a neutral office that helps journalists find information. He said he regretted that the center did not clearly understand the work of the ministry.
The Cambodian Center for Human Rights was founded by Kem Sokha, who himself was jailed in 2006 on defamation charges and recently started his own political party, the Human Rights Party, to compete in the 2008 national elections.
9 comments:
In a civilised nation, the job of Ministry of information is to creation more informations accessible to their citizen to a high potential. They must encourage their local citizen to write more books and informations to enrich the knowledge of their younger generation. They have to speed up other information technology to be available to their Nation by removing all costs put up by greedies companies such as telecommunications, television etc... and etc.. This minitery has no right to stop people to express their views. They must explain very well about personal attack which can be sued by legal proceeding.
a-If you write or express your view to someone private life of a private people, you would have to be carefull.
b-All people working in public office, will be scruitinnered by by public. Their attack will be exampled from legal procceeding because their decisions will affect other people lives. In Cambodia constitution, only the King ( Public life), but is being protected from public sruitinnered). The former King has no exemption as it has stated that only the King is.
Great job Ou Virak, of course this is logical and reasonable that to development democracy no need to have Ministry of Information.
Only communist countries have such Ministry. Kannarith is actual communist because of his controlling the freedom of press and informations.
Ministry Information must be dissolved.
Stop the bullshits, guys, if you
want to see state of the art
communication in Cambodia, just
send plenty cashes.
Is Ou Virak's proposal, the closure of the Ministry of Information, yet another case of our extremism? Should the ministry be given a death penalty for its two crimes, "bias" and "repression"? Is it beyond redemption?
Some years back, our prime minister who was then not happy with the activities of several karaoke parlours decided to close down all such parlours within days - without any concern for the jobs and livelihood of many hundreds of girls and others working there.
Before taking or proposing any drastic measure, let's remind ourselves of the attitude and action of the palace guards in the Khmer folks story Mea Yoeung who questioned their king's decision to send an intruder for execution at night time and then refused to open the gates to let the executioners to take that intruder out.
LAO Mong Hay, Hong Kong
IF MINISTRY OF INFORMATION IS ELIMINATED, HOW ABOUT AH KHIEV KANHARITH ?
HE WILL BE CAR WASHER OF AH KBAL YOUN KHLOUN SAT' (Hun Sen)
7:50 AM go and do and make it your own motherfucker and anyone can do it too with other people money. Pathetic like you just wait for the food to be serve but cannot prepare or make. Kbal Thom huey nov thea pler teat. Ah pler ey kmass ke nas oy kon skmey deal kbal.
Okay, we will do it with our own
money once you shut your big mouth,
fair?
All of the fucken information put out by the fucken Vietcong slave Ministry of Information is fucken usless information! The fucken information is designed to mislead and confused Cambodian people!!!
The worst of all this fucken Ministry of Information never serve the interest of Cambodian people!!!!I really favor the burn down of the fucken Vietcong slave Ministry of Information!!
Wrong, our MOI don't put out junk
infos. That is the westerners'
departments in the west only.
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