Cambodia annual report 2002Press Freedom Day by Day
Reporters Without Borders
Source: http://www.rsf.org/article.php3?id_article=1469
Press freedom improved again in Cambodia in 2001. But three journalists, accused of complicity with a terrorist organisation, remain in jail even though the government has not proven their guilt.
The absence of any major political tension in 2001 was advantageous for the Cambodian press: Reporters without Borders noted no publications closed this year. However, parties of the governmental coalition still control almost all the country’s television and radio stations, and the main opponent, Sam Rainsy, was again refused a licence for a radio station. To get around these hurdles, Sam Rainsy’s party has been broadcasting a radio programme entitled "The Voice of Justice" from a foreign country since February. Inhabitants of Phnom Penh can also listen to the international radio stations RFI and BBC on FM. Written press remains highly politicised, and attacks among parties, through their newspapers, occur continuously. To improve the quality of the country’s media, several international organisations have focused on training journalists.
A certain amount of tension was caused by the implementation of an international tribunal to judge the Khmer Rouge. Political leaders lashed out at media who accused them of having belonged to Pol Pot’s regime. The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Hor Nam Hong, won a libel trial against The Cambodia Daily in September after the newspaper mentioned his past as a member of the Khmer Rouge. In 1977, Hor Nam Hong was indeed in charge of the Beng Trabek re-education camp.
Three journalists jailed
Since 24 November 2000, Bun Chanto, a reporter with the opposition newspaper Samleng Yuvachun Khmer, Thou Tara, editor with the private weekly Pesakacchun, and Ly Chun Huong, a reporter with the public press agency AKP, have been detained by police. These arrests occurred several hours after an attack on official buildings by militias who claimed to be Cambodian Freedom Fighters. According to the police, who gave very little information about the reasons for their detention, their names were found on a list written by the chief of the militia, Richard Kiri Kim. Thou Tara was arrested near the place of the attack. Bun Chanto was arrested in Pailin (west of the country) and later transferred to the capital. Ly Chun Huong was arrested at his home in Kompong Cham (east of the country). The police had no warrants when they arrested the journalists. A court in Phnom Penh charged them and some forty other suspects with "terrorism and involvement in an illegal armed group". Lach Samrong, publisher of the newspaper Sathearanak Mateak, was also accused of complicity with the terrorists, and he took refuge in Thailand for a year before returning to Phnom Phen. Following an intervention by Reporters without Borders, the Minister of Information announced that Ly Chun Huong could soon be released on bail. But, as of 1 January 2002, the authorities have made no initiatives in his favour.
The absence of any major political tension in 2001 was advantageous for the Cambodian press: Reporters without Borders noted no publications closed this year. However, parties of the governmental coalition still control almost all the country’s television and radio stations, and the main opponent, Sam Rainsy, was again refused a licence for a radio station. To get around these hurdles, Sam Rainsy’s party has been broadcasting a radio programme entitled "The Voice of Justice" from a foreign country since February. Inhabitants of Phnom Penh can also listen to the international radio stations RFI and BBC on FM. Written press remains highly politicised, and attacks among parties, through their newspapers, occur continuously. To improve the quality of the country’s media, several international organisations have focused on training journalists.
A certain amount of tension was caused by the implementation of an international tribunal to judge the Khmer Rouge. Political leaders lashed out at media who accused them of having belonged to Pol Pot’s regime. The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Hor Nam Hong, won a libel trial against The Cambodia Daily in September after the newspaper mentioned his past as a member of the Khmer Rouge. In 1977, Hor Nam Hong was indeed in charge of the Beng Trabek re-education camp.
Three journalists jailed
Since 24 November 2000, Bun Chanto, a reporter with the opposition newspaper Samleng Yuvachun Khmer, Thou Tara, editor with the private weekly Pesakacchun, and Ly Chun Huong, a reporter with the public press agency AKP, have been detained by police. These arrests occurred several hours after an attack on official buildings by militias who claimed to be Cambodian Freedom Fighters. According to the police, who gave very little information about the reasons for their detention, their names were found on a list written by the chief of the militia, Richard Kiri Kim. Thou Tara was arrested near the place of the attack. Bun Chanto was arrested in Pailin (west of the country) and later transferred to the capital. Ly Chun Huong was arrested at his home in Kompong Cham (east of the country). The police had no warrants when they arrested the journalists. A court in Phnom Penh charged them and some forty other suspects with "terrorism and involvement in an illegal armed group". Lach Samrong, publisher of the newspaper Sathearanak Mateak, was also accused of complicity with the terrorists, and he took refuge in Thailand for a year before returning to Phnom Phen. Following an intervention by Reporters without Borders, the Minister of Information announced that Ly Chun Huong could soon be released on bail. But, as of 1 January 2002, the authorities have made no initiatives in his favour.
29 comments:
"In 1977, Hor Nam Hong was indeed in charge of the Beng Trabek re-education camp."
So what? It is just a job. There is no proof of him order any killing on his own other than carry out his order from outside.
Therefore, Sam Rainsy is liable for a defamation charge for implying that he was a killer who went beyond this duty as prison director.
kdor ei te ha
For us who had lived under kr regime know exactly what it means to an ANIMAL IN CHARGE of their prison .
It represents a lawyer ,a judge, a guard, an interrogator, a torturer, an executioner ALL IN ONE with ABSOLUTE POWER.
Go to HELL ah kwack and his gang of scum bag orang outang.
May lightning strikes ah kwack fore head at noon time.
Sure, on planet of the ape.
Hey Yuon/Viet patasite @6:27PM and 7:40PM,
You Viet/Yuon parasite that keep shitting recklessy here all over Ki-Media must know that you are hurting your own freaking race the Viet and the Vietcong, not us Cambodian. Got that?
When it comes to you Viet parasite, the universal language is: "The world sees and knows you Viet low-life true color already!!!"
Now tell that you whores mother, okay?
Go home Viet, Go home!
Leave Khmer people alone to solve problems on their own...
Khmer needs no Vietcong on Khmer's land!
Hey Yuon/Viet patasite @6:27PM and 7:40PM,
You Yuon parasite that keep shitting recklessy here all over Ki-Media must know that you are hurting your own freaking race the Youn and the Vietcong, not us Cambodian. Got that?
When it comes to you Youn parasite, the universal language is: "The world sees and knows you Youn low-life true color already!!!"
Now tell that you whores mother, okay?
Go home Youns, Go home!
Leave Khmer people alone to solve problems on their own...
Khmer needs no Vietcong on Khmer's land!
...; therefore, hang Hor Nam Hong, regarless of what Sam Rainsy has said.
Ah Hor Nam Hong was ah prison chief of Boeng Trabek during KR regime (1975-1979). Ah Hor Nam Hong must be in jail like Noun Jea, Ieng Sary-Thirith, Khieu Samphan at KR tribunal.
... Don't forget to drag Hun Xen and his cronies to court, too, later on; otherwise, the scale of laws in Cambodia is not measured fairly.
If indeed he was in charged that time. He should be put on trial whether he is innocent or quilty !
For the fact that this is the reason for the trial right? Is the seek the truth and involement.
to 6:27pm, u need to check yourself. And if he is innocent, why " worry ".
" so therefore " Sam Rainsey is not liable of anything. ( u idoit poster 6:27pm , are u khmer ? we know u crook by nature )
Now why is this report from 2002 published on KI-Media now? The report also clearly say Hor Namhong won the libel suit against the Cambodia Daily. But the next sentence says,"In 1997 he was indeed..." That's a contradiction. Whatever he was, he was cleared in a French court. It can't get any more independent than this, can it?
Yes it can...
Some people must be retarded to think HO NAMHONG hand are cleaned from Cambodian blood,this kind of the job that Ho Namhong has=butcher almost the same the duty brother II had,OMG if Ho Namhong he is not a killer ,who does? Common face with the true the killer?
Ah Sam Rainsy should not go unpunished for accusing everyone of being a killer.
it does not matter what H.E Sam Rainsy says. History can't be chnaged and the record does not lie. If the record says ah Whore Nam Houng was a prison chief during KR regime, that is it.
PM Hun Sen is the PM of Cambodia. Ah WHore Nam is not. he is an appointed official. Thus, ah whore nam houng has no way to clean his bloody hands but facing the KR trial.
It's hard to not think any KR leaders are, they either ordered the killing(s) or did the act of killing(s) themselves.
Beng Trabek High School prison existed long before the name Sam Rainsi appeared in Camodia's political arena, therefore it is irrelevant what he said about who was the chief of that prison, but that chief of the KR prison must answer the court and the Khmer victims for justice to even resemble its true sense. The KR tribunal must include these alleged responsible KR characters for the sake of justice, or otherwise it is just a travesty of the whole process and effort.
Hor Nam Hong deserves to be charged.
Sad thing is is these fuckers from failed French education fucked up Cambodia to the fullest! They are so full of tricks.
They fooled the poor peasants and the smart king, and now they are fooling the international naives with their smooth French-accented English and designer suits while disguising their wolf nature to hang on to power and to serve their regional master's interests from the east.
For the sake of innocent victims of Ah Sam Rainsy's accusation, the court must not let him go unpunished.
fuck all you Viet troller/pimp/parasite on KI-Media...
2:07 AM,
did you mean "for the sake of the innocent FORMER KHMER ROUGE PRISON CHIEF vitim?"
You are so full of crap and trying to fool and insult people's intelligence. Whatever you spew, it reeks the smell of "nuoc mam" flavor.
To be fair to HOR NAM BHONG, and the victims in general, the court should also arrest Sihanouk, the person who had played a big role in misleading his followers to join POL POT.
Yeah, put that freaking SIHANOUK in jail too if necessary!!!
ah Muk khmauch HOr Nam Hong must hang to death.Why let him live free.
Thos is purely a civil case between the accused and plaintif.
ECCC will be in Cambodia for a long while and will be starting its 1st session of trial sometime sooner. If indeed, there is any name mentioned or any suggestion that particular person was invovled in the past then the court might and would call upon for further investigation then any action against that particular person will be prevail.
For the mean time and until the ECCC commences its trial of the leaders who are currently in detention then there is nothing much people can do or drag in that particular person for any involvement of the regime.
There is always something going on in any election period, and surely this is a tough test yet for the two parties "A test of nerve and remark being used for political issue".
SR made such remark and no doubt bet on his confident that CPP would jump into the bait "Put me behind bar before the lection if you dare then you'll definitely see the consequences"
On the other hand there is showing of restraint from top man himself from the CPP, "Show no suggestion or sign to rally behind the issue".
Why at the crucial moment before the elction?
Two separate issues are at hand here:
1. When will ECCC start including KR characters who were alleged to have direct roles in the KR killing machine? Is ECCC a charade of a political show, or a true effort to find justice for the KR victims?
2. The elections - If CPP keeps on shamelessly using veiled scare tactics of how they were the savior and protector of stability, other parties should have free reign to associate CPP with both KR and Hanoi - the root cause of Khmer's misery.
That is why this trial has been dragging its feet for so long. Plus, it is coordinated in a way that the gov't of Cambodia can control the outcome, especially when it comes to the question of who actually were the perpetrators of the crime.
All former KRs must go to court. They don't deserve to be in the government. Everyone knows that they are the killers and blood suckers. Why continue to sucking up to them? why??????????????!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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