Khieu Kanharith on RSF report : Deny! Deny! Deny!

Hang Chakra, Editor-in-chief of Khmer Machas Srok newspaper (Photo: Sok Serey, RFA)

Khieu Kanharith not convinced by RSF report

Monday 22 Feb 2010
By A.L.G.
Cambodge Soir Hebdo
Translated from French by Alain De Veng
Click here to read the article in French

Khieu Kanharith, the minister of Information and government spokesman, called on Reporters Without Borders (with the acronym RSF in French) to investigate on the real activities led by the reporters named in the RSF report.

Several reporters named in Reporters Without Borders report on the freedom of press in Cambodia were sentenced due to their lack of professionalism, Khieu Kanharith indicated on Sunday 21 Feb when questioned by Cambodge Soir Hebdo.

Regarding Hang Chakra, the editor-in-chief of the Khmer Machas Srok newspaper, Khieu Kanharith indicated that it was mainly a “personal affair” between vice-PM Sok An and the reporter.

Hang Chakra, who was sentenced to one year of jail term on 26 June 2009 by the Phnom Penh municipal court, published in the opposition-leaning Khmer Machas Srok newspaper articles that accused those working around Sok An of corruption.

In the RSF report, Khieu Kanharith claimed that he would “personally” favor the release of Hang Chakra.

“For several reporters named, RSF would do better to investigate [to find out] if they were real reporters or just people shamelessly using their press badges in unsavory affairs,” Khieu Kanharith said.

Among the cases raised by RSF, the controversial case of Ros Sokhet was also cited. He was sentenced to 2-year of jail term for “disinformation” on 06 November 2009 after sending a text message to Soy Sopheap, a reporter close to Hun Xen, accusing the latter of receiving bribe to silence a report.

In its report, RSF cautiously raised this case, saying that the court should simply give a “formal reprimand” to Ros Sokhet.

In other cases, Khieu Kanharith stressed that “the PM ordered a stop on the lawsuits against three other editors. If this organization [RSF] is really professional, it could easily check this fact.”

Furthermore, the UN Office of the High Commissioner of Human Rights (OHCHR) in Cambodia praised the dropping of RFA reporter Sok Serey’s lawsuit case last Friday by the Takeo provincial court, as well as the lawsuit cases against 2 human rights defenders and two representatives of the Cham community, all of whom were charged with “disinformation.” The RFA reporters, the activists and the Cham community representatives were sued in a case stemming from a dispute between Cham villagers and religious leaders from the Kampong Youl village mosque, located in Takeo province, where these leaders were accused of corruption.

The OHCHR called on all Cambodian judges to follow the precedence set by this case, in particular, in the context of the application of the new penal code “in which numerous stipulations could potentially restraint freedom of expression.”