By Pich Samnang, VOA Khmer
Original report from Phnom Penh
20 March 2009
The Ministry of Information will strengthen controls on broadcasting in 2009, officials said Thursday.
In 2009, the ministry plans to continue to monitor and control the publishing of newspapers and the broadcasting of radio and television to ensure media outlets follow ministry guidelines and the Cambodian Press Law, officials said at an annual ministry assessment for 2008.
“The arrests of journalists and rising complaints against journalists has occurred so far, because some journalists did not follow a journalistic codes of conduct,” Information Minister Khieu Kanharith, who is also the spokesman for the Cambodian government, said on the sidelines of the meeting.
According to its 2008 report, the Information Ministry called in editors in 27 cases of print and three cases of broadcasting to advise them to follow ministry guidelines and not to publish or broadcast stories against the good culture and tradition of the nation.
The ministry also ordered the permanent closure of Angkor Ratha FM105.25, in Kratie province, shortly after the station leased air time to four political parties (and not the ruling Cambodian People’s Party) in the run-up to 2008 elections.
The closure of the station, together with the arrest of an opposition editor, Dam Sith, and the murder of one of his journalists, Khim Sambo, drew much criticism from national and international press freedom defenders last year.
Um Sarin, president of the Cambodian Association for the Protection of Journalists, said monitoring and control of broadcasts did not affect freedom of expression in Cambodia. However, he said, the ministry should better control its media passes and licenses to ensure quality journalism.
“The problems arising so far come from the ministry itself, which just issues press cards to those who are not professional journalists,” he said, adding that there are hundreds of newspapers in Cambodia, but only a few that regularly appear in newsstands.
According to the ministry’s 2008 report, nearly 600 print media outlets exist nationwide. Among those, national newspapers and magazines account for more than 500; the rest are bulletins and foreign papers and magazines. Of more than 200 broadcast media, more than 80 are live and relay radio stations; the rest comprise local and cable television.
In 2009, the ministry plans to continue to monitor and control the publishing of newspapers and the broadcasting of radio and television to ensure media outlets follow ministry guidelines and the Cambodian Press Law, officials said at an annual ministry assessment for 2008.
“The arrests of journalists and rising complaints against journalists has occurred so far, because some journalists did not follow a journalistic codes of conduct,” Information Minister Khieu Kanharith, who is also the spokesman for the Cambodian government, said on the sidelines of the meeting.
According to its 2008 report, the Information Ministry called in editors in 27 cases of print and three cases of broadcasting to advise them to follow ministry guidelines and not to publish or broadcast stories against the good culture and tradition of the nation.
The ministry also ordered the permanent closure of Angkor Ratha FM105.25, in Kratie province, shortly after the station leased air time to four political parties (and not the ruling Cambodian People’s Party) in the run-up to 2008 elections.
The closure of the station, together with the arrest of an opposition editor, Dam Sith, and the murder of one of his journalists, Khim Sambo, drew much criticism from national and international press freedom defenders last year.
Um Sarin, president of the Cambodian Association for the Protection of Journalists, said monitoring and control of broadcasts did not affect freedom of expression in Cambodia. However, he said, the ministry should better control its media passes and licenses to ensure quality journalism.
“The problems arising so far come from the ministry itself, which just issues press cards to those who are not professional journalists,” he said, adding that there are hundreds of newspapers in Cambodia, but only a few that regularly appear in newsstands.
According to the ministry’s 2008 report, nearly 600 print media outlets exist nationwide. Among those, national newspapers and magazines account for more than 500; the rest are bulletins and foreign papers and magazines. Of more than 200 broadcast media, more than 80 are live and relay radio stations; the rest comprise local and cable television.
9 comments:
FUCK YOU AH HUN SEN YOU CAN DO ONLY MY POOR BROTHERS AND SISTERS IN CAMBODIA BUT NOT OUTSIDER.
YOU HAVE A DREAM TO CHASE US BUT HOW MUCH YOU WILL SPEND FOR MY DIRT POOR BROTHER &SISTERS FOR FOOD?
FUCK YOU HUN SOREH IT IS A JOKE!
TIGER PAPER?
fuck you too,8,06Am!Don't fuck with my government ok!
It's good to see PM Hun Sen looking out for Khmer people 24/7 to keep them safe from pouk Ah Evil Scam Rainxy.
Thank you, PM!
i think gov't only arrest those who are unethical in their code of ethics because cambodia needs a code of ethics in order to have civilized society like the rest of asia and the world for that matter! god bless cambodia.
fuck you hun sen ,you& ur gangs can scare of poor khmer brothers ,sisters in Nam Vang if you conme oversea you might get in trouble ...believe my friend .
believe me my friend
Let's banned the PM himself from press conference altogether. He is the leader, is he not?
The PM himself lacks moral/ethical conduct. The press only report what he quote.
Hun SEN and Hanoi can kiss my stinky pie-hole and eat my craps pie!
HUn sen is a creature of habit just like his viet boss, so are his cpp associates
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