Monday, 14 February 2011
James O’Toole and Sam Rith
The Phnom Penh Post
The government has ordered at least one internet service provider to block opposition news blog KI-Media, a company staffer confirmed today, amid reports from users of multiple ISPs that the site was inaccessible.
The news comes less than one month after users of the Ezecom and Metfone ISPs reported that the site had been temporarily blocked. A customer service representative for Ezecom told The Post at the time that his manager had instructed him to block access to KI-Media on the government’s orders, though state officials and the firm’s CEO denied that there had been any such request.
Today, however, users of the WiCam ISP attempting to access KI-Media received a message stating that the site had been “blocked as ordered by the Ministry of Post and Telecommunications of Cambodia”.
A WiCam employee who asked to remain anonymous said today that his company had been ordered to block the site several weeks ago in an email from staff at the Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications who said KI-Media “impacts the government”.
WiCam, he said, had restricted access to the site intermittently over the past few weeks before blocking it today.
“The ministry told us that they would make a report to the top level if we did not block the website,” the employee said, adding that such requests were common in many countries.
“My company does business in Cambodia, so we have to obey them,” he said.
Metfone and Ezecom users also reported today that they could not access the site.
Metfone users attempting to access KI-Media and another anti-government blog, Khmerization, were redirected to local news portal everyday.com.kh.
Ezecom CEO Paul Blanche-Horgan said he had received “no directive from the government to do anything”.
“We’ve had about two or three people ask us about it, but sometimes [the technical problem] can be on their end,” he said.
Representatives from Metfone could not be reached for comment.
Mao Chakrya, director general of the Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications, said there had been “no order” given by his ministry to block KI-Media. Information Minister Khieu Kanharith said in an email that the government was committed to protecting political speech, even in view of the role social media websites have played in recent uprisings in Egypt and Tunisia.
“The government [will not] block any website even if the whole Middle East collapses by this so-called ‘people power’,” he said.
Users of Metfone and Ezecom said today that they could still access a KI-Media mirror site hosted by wordpress.com.
KI-Media made the news in December when Seng Kunnaka, a security guard employed by the United Nations World Food Programme, received a six-month jail term for incitement just days after he was arrested for printing out an article from the website and sharing it with co-workers.
The blog is maintained by a mix of local residents and overseas Cambodians operating under pseudonyms who reproduce articles from local and international news outlets in addition to posting original essays and political cartoons.
The administrators are strongly pro-Sam Rainsy Party, labeling the eponymous opposition leader a “hero” and officials including Prime Minister Hun Sen “traitors” in a banner on the KI-Media homepage.
Ou Virak, president of the Cambodian Centre for Human Rights, said in a statement today that the site’s blockage “is clear evidence that the government is working to ensure that online democratic space is policed and controlled in much the same way as traditional forums for communicating ideas and criticisms”.
“Online activism is increasing in Cambodia and this is proof that the government fears the creation of a digital democracy which permits the sharing of grievances, criticisms and opinions which run counter to those of the government,” he said.
KI-Media was available this evening via ISPs including Mobitel and MekongNet.
Cambodia Data Communications CEO Sok Channda, whose company runs MekongNet, said she did not know of any government order to block the blog, though she added that her firm would willingly comply with any such request.
“If the government asks, we need to block it,” she said.
ADDITIONAL REPORTING BY THOMAS MILLER AND SEBASTIAN STRANGIO
19 comments:
វាគ្មានអី ចំឡែកទេ បើរដ្ឋាភិបាល
បានដាក់បញ្ជាអោយបិទផ្ទប់ចរាចរ
គេហទំព័រ ឃេអាយមួយនេះ ។ ពីព្រោះ
ថា ដូចយើងឃើញស្រាប់ហើយ នៅលើទំព័រ
ទិ១ របស់ ឃេអាយ នេះ មានដាក់រូបអ្វី ។
If you block Ki Thai f16 will go to visit your house at Toul kra sang soon.
http://www.unmultimedia.org/tv/webcast/index.html
It is live streaming from UN. there will be a briefing about Cambodia - Thailand soon.
you can blocked all you can but the real problem is people will not willing to pay for the internet service so the it will go bankrupcy and a lose lose policy for everybody
12:23, thanks for the linky, good stuff.
recommended.
Answer to 12:06AM,
Pictures on the left hand side of the front page are all traitors.
Pictures on the right hand side are some of the heroes and real patriots who put their life on the line to protect Khmer people, Khmer land and Khmer interests.
Dictators and traitors are afraid of the truth
A Cambodian government that run by the crooks(Dictator Hun Sen and his cronies) are always afraid of the truth.
These dictators and the communists are soon to be abolished by the democratic world: PEOPLE POWER!
KHMER Angkor.
If what said about you are not true, people will not believe that. But if it is true, people will believe it naturally.
It is true that:
-CPP is Viet's puppet.
- CPP gave a lot of land to Viet.
-CPP allows Viet. by million to live in Cambodia that in future they will infest our society.
-CPP corroborates the rich, the Viet, the Chinese to oppress the poor Khmer.
-CPP only send the poor Khmer to die at the border fighting with Thai.
-CPP killed many Khmer many times.
-CPP destroyed national forest and environment.
-CPP are rich from corruption stealing from national budget and resources. So CPP leaders are traitors. SRP did not tell me to say this. I say from what I see. I do not get any benefit what so ever from Cambodia nor from SRP.
I told you all, Cambodian is run by a Dictatorship government. You can buy or sell anything in Cambodia if you know some high official. Stop supporting the CCP and HUN Sen traitors.
To those who love Hun Sen:
It does not matter how good you think Hun Sen is but consider this:
As long as CPP and Hun Sen exist, Cambodia is always under Yuon looking stupid, inferior,
without freedom, and will perhaps someday disappeared just like Kampucheakrom. Do not personally love individual, but nation.
*The coward Hun sen Govt was BLOCKED this KI MEDIA Blog since last month.
Iheard long time alrerady,becuase a lot students in CAMBODIA toll me by the phone.
*KHIEV KAGHA RITH he is A LIAR.
AK BORK PRASS
Keep cursing and you will have nothing to read! Kom chor!
Cambodain leaders CPP make war thwo front:
1) against Thailand in name of protection aggressor
2) against own people because they are afraid like Egyptian unrest. Those dictators are doing against the win of change. During the the world economic conference in schwiss, the president of Russia, Dimitry Medvedev, told the conferences those cut the internet from people those regime must punished by the world community and its people, Russsia is absolute against this. Now CPP do it against Russia president's speech. Is that OK? Or
From all CPP must go to fight against Thailand and Khmer nationalists stay home and are waiting, because this land belong to CPP and Youn. Why all Khmer must die for those??
គេនឹងបិទទ្វារតូចធំដើម្បីវ៉ៃឆ្កែក្នុងពេលខាងមុខ។
FUCK AH HUN XEN GOVT FUCK AH CPP FUCK AH YOUN. THEY ALL CAN GO CHOKE ON AH HO CHI MINH KDOR IN HELL
AH HUN SEN AH KBORT JEAT KAGN JAEH YOUN
AH HUN SEN AH KBORT JEAT KAGN JAEH YOUN
AH HUN SEN AH KBORT JEAT KAGN JAEH YOUN
AH HUN SEN AH KBORT JEAT KAGN JAEH YOUN
AH HUN SEN AH KBORT JEAT KAGN JAEH YOUN
AH HUN SEN AH KBORT JEAT KAGN JAEH YOUN
AH HUN SEN AH KBORT JEAT KAGN JAEH YOUN
AH HUN SEN AH KBORT JEAT KAGN JAEH YOUN
kon kmeng naek srae
Dear Ki,
I am one of the Khmer people in Phnom Penh. I would like to share some information regarding to the blocking of the website. Usually, I always check the website such as KI, dap-news, cen, kohsantepheapdaily and many others, but the mentioned website which I used to have access, now are blocked. Do you have any idea for me to have access to all websites as I used to. Your assistance is high appreciated.
Khmer in Phnom Penh.
Sub-Vietnam government is afraid the fact reveals. Come on! don't be chicken. This government is inhumane
to the people of Cambodia. Communist Vietnam is behind all this. Does anybody in the world have an ability
to open Vietnamese face, so the world will see the dirty act they commit.
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