Premier threatens to shut military-owned TV for lack of enthusiasm

Mon, 01 Mar 2010
DPA

Phnom Penh - Cambodia's Prime Minister Hun Sen has threatened to close down a television station part-owned by the country's military, saying it had failed to broadcast sufficient army-related material, national media reported Monday. Hun Sen told troops in the country's north-western province of Battambang that the TV5 channel ought to broadcast more "military encouragement songs."

He also chastised TV5 for failing to televise his speeches to the troops during last month's high-profile visit to units based along the Cambodian-Thai border.

"It uses the military logo, but this TV channel does not disseminate the military work often," the Cambodia Daily newspaper reported Hun Sen as saying.

Relations between Cambodia and Thailand have worsened in recent months, increasing tensions along areas of their disputed border.

Hun Sen said TV5, which is part-owned by Thai firm Mica Media Limited, should either remove the armed forces logo and go private, or close down.

And he had harsh words for station director Lieutenant-General Neang Phat, a senior figure in the defence ministry, saying the director did not watch television.

"I let you wear the stars (representing the rank of a general), but the stars are not working - you don't know how to do it," he said.

Neang Phat told the newspaper that the station would immediately ensure the premier's advice was followed.

"We will follow his ideal advice, we'll insert more programmes concerning military tasks," he said. "Starting from Monday we'll play the songs and the talk concerning the military."

A review of the country's media last year by local human rights group Licadho noted that each of Cambodia's eight TV stations is aligned with the ruling party "and all news bulletins are politically biased."

A survey conducted in 2003 found that 90 per cent of Cambodians get their news via TV and radio broadcasts.