Cambodge Soir will re-appear … but without half of the former editorial team

Unofficial translation from French by Tola Ek

Le texte original du commiqué se trouve en bas de la page

Communiqué of the Collective of former Cambodge Soir journalists

Correction: Cambodge Soir will re-appear …
but without half of the former editor team

The management of Cambodge Soir recently announced to the press the restart of the work (at the newspaper) while claiming that the demands by the editors have been met.

The collective of former Cambodge Soir journalists wants to emphasize that half of the former editors did not receive satisfaction to their demands and, up to now, they are in disagreement with the conditions set for this restart.

Until now, the management of Cambodge Soir did not provide any guaranty as to the editorial independence of this newspaper.

Is the conflict resolved as the management announced? The International Francophony Organization (OIF) which subsidizes about one-third of the Cambodge Soir yearly budget, mandated Mr. Hervé Bourges, a world renowned media personality, President of the Union of the French-language press and former President of the Superior Council the French broadcasting media, to act as a mediator in Phnom Penh, at the end of this week.

The collective of former Cambodge Soir journalists now consists of half of the former editorial staff of this Cambodian French-language daily newspaper which went on strike, unanimously, on 11 June, in order to protest against the firing of a journalist.

To contact the collective by email: collectifcs@gmail.com

All the communiqués can be found at: collectifcs.blogspot.com

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Communiqué du Collectif des anciens journalistes de Cambodge Soir

Mise au point : Cambodge Soir reparaîtra...
sans la moitié de l'ancienne équipe rédactionnelle

La direction de Cambodge Soir a annoncé récemment auprès de plusieurs médias la reprise du travail, affirmant que les demandes de la rédaction avaient été satisfaites.

Le collectif des anciens journalistes de Cambodge Soir tient à préciser que la moitié de l'ancienne rédaction n'a pas vu ses demandes satisfaites et est jusqu'ici en désaccord avec les conditions de cette reprise.

A ce jour, la direction de Cambodge Soir n'a montré aucune garantie quant à l'indépendance éditoriale de ce journal.

Le conflit est-il vraiment réglé, comme l'annonce la direction ? L'Organisation internationale de la Francophonie (OIF), qui subventionne Cambodge Soir pour environ un tiers de son budget annuel, a mandaté M. Hervé Bourges, personnalité reconnue du monde des médias, président de l'Union de la presse francophone et ancien président du Conseil supérieur de l'audiovisuel français, pour jouer le rôle de médiateur, à Phnom Penh, à la fin de cette semaine.

Le collectif des anciens journalistes de Cambodge Soir rassemble aujourd'hui la moitié de l'ancienne rédaction de ce quotidien cambodgien francophone qui s'était mise en grève, à l'unanimité, le 11 juin afin de protester contre l'exclusion d'un journaliste.

Pour contacter le collectif : collectifcs@gmail.com
Tous les communiqués sur: http://collectifcs.blogpsot.com

Cambodge Soir to restart at the beginning of September

07 August 2007
By Kim Pov Sottan
Radio Free Asia
Translated from Khmer by Heng Soy

One of the directors of Cambodge Soir, the only French language newspaper in Cambodia, claimed that the newspaper will restart its publication at the beginning of next month following a hiatus folowing a reporters’ strike.

Oknha Kong Rithy Chup, a director of Cambodge Soir, said that the newspaper direction will accept the various reforms (proposed by the reporters), in particular, the reinforcement of the newspaper website, the expansion of the Cambodian and French versions of the news, and the independence for the editors, in order for the newspaper to continue providing the important role it played within the Cambodian society, as it did before.

Kong Rithy Chub said: “The publication will remain the same, but it will be better. The formula which I just talked about will consist of (1) we will (publish) every day, (and also) on our website. Furthermore, each week, we will publish a 32-page edition which will be both in Khmer and French, so we will do this … once a week, this is a must. There is no issue to close (the newspaper), we must continue, but we must organize with new profession(al standards) and we pursue the work.”

Up to now, a reorganization of a new reporters group is under way, as well as the repair of the newspaper building, and the organization of the articles which will be published next month.

Kong Sothanarith, the person responsible for the paper conception, said that he is happy and he welcomes this decision made by the director, however, he said that the newspaper’s editors insist that the direction should stop meddling with the editors’ work in order for the latter to work independently.

Kong Sothanarith said: “We demand in it that Cambodge Soir maintains the same independent trend, and that it is not influenced by politics, and not influenced by any political parties at all. All of us hope that Cambodge Soir will remain the same.”

Cambodge Soir is the only French-language newspaper in Cambodia, it has been in operation in the past 13 years, and it includes about 50% of French journalists and 50% of Cambodian journalists. The newspaper received its main financial backing from Oknha Kong Rithy Chup, and “Les Editions du Mekong” publishing house which is owned by the French government.

At the beginning of June, a French reporter was fired from his work after he authored an articles reporting about the “Families of the thieves of the Nation” (Global Witness report: Cambodia’s Family Ties) which is critical to the senior leaders of the government of Cambodia and their relatives for their illegal logging activities in Cambodia.

The article was criticized by one of the newspaper director who said that it could affect his relationship with the government. That claim was used as an excuse to fire the French reporter. Immediately after the firing, the entire group of the newspaper’s reporters went into strike and they remain out of work until the present negotiation.

An update from the editorial and translator team of Cambodge Soir

Unofficial translation from French by Tola Ek

La version originale du texte en Français se trouve en bas de la traduction anglaise

Dear Friends,

The editorial and translator team of Cambodge Soir would like to thank you from the bottom of our heart for your support. In the long crisis which we are enduring in the past one month, your messages are true comfort to us, a breath of new energy.

You are one of the more than 420 people who sent us your words of encouragements. Among you, we count several anonymous readers who only provided your first name. We also count some VIPs also: the Cambodian Minister of Information and the Minister of Justice, movie director Rithy panh, as well as other well known figures such as Raymond Depardon, François Ponchaud, etc… Numerous journalists have also given us your support.

On Monday, a meeting took place between the management and a delegation of our team. This is a first meeting held in the past three weeks. Following this meeting, we handed to all the management team a working document proposing a reorganization of the newspaper which, in our opinion, is susceptible to guarantee the editorial independence of the newspaper. We are expecting propositions from the management before Sunday.

We will keep you informed about the upcoming events. Please rest assured of our attachment so that you could find, in the shortest delay possible, quality information in French and Khmer in Cambodia again. We assure you that the interest of our readers, is at the heart of all our decision-making.

Sincerely,

The journalists and translators of Cambodge Soir

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Chers amis,
L'équipe des rédacteurs et traducteurs de Cambodge Soir tient à vous remercier du fond du cœur pour votre soutien. Dans la longue crise que nous traversons depuis presque un mois, vos messages sont un véritable réconfort, une bouffée d'énergie.

Vous êtes plus de 420 à nous avoir adressé vos encouragements. Parmi vous : des lecteurs anonymes qui auront signé de leur seul prénom. Des personnalités aussi : des ministres de l'Information et de la Justice cambodgiens au réalisateur Rithy Panh en passant par des figures comme Raymond Depardon, François Ponchaud... De nombreux confrères journalistes nous ont également apporté leur soutien.

Lundi, une rencontre a eu lieu entre la direction et une délégation de la rédaction. La première depuis trois semaines. A la suite de quoi nous avons transmis à l'ensemble de nos administrateurs un document de travail proposant une réorganisation du journal susceptible, selon nous, de garantir l'indépendance éditoriale. Nous attendons des propositions de la direction avant dimanche.

Nous vous tiendrons au courant de la suite des événements. Sachez en tout cas tout l'attachement que nous portons à ce que vous retrouviez dans les plus brefs délais une information de qualité en français et en khmer sur le Cambodge. L'intérêt de nos lecteurs est, nous vous en assurons, au coeur de toute nos décisions.
Cordialement,

Les journalistes et traducteurs de Cambodge Soir

Update on Cambodge Soir

Press Release

(Unofficial translation from original text in French below)

Conciliation proposal by the Editorial Team

On Tuesday 19 June, the editorial team proposed to the Cambodge Soir directors and management, to hold a meeting in the newspaper office building, in the afternoon of Thursday 21 June, in order (the editorial team) to submit to them an editorial and organization charter.

Today, the strikers have refused a meeting proposal to be held only between the Editor in chief and the newspaper director accompanied by his deputy, on Wednesday morning, based on a meeting agenda that does not reflect the seriousness of the situation, and the management also rejected the presence in the meeting by a Cambodian editorial representative. Up to now, the editorial team has yet to receive a written reply to the demands it sent to the management on Monday 11 June, in particular, regarding the relationships between the editorial team and the management.

The strike was unanimously approved by the reporters and the translators of Cambodge Soir on 11 June, one day after the announcement of the unjustified firing without prior warning of a reporter. While refusing any discussion or providing any clarification on the firing, the management abruptly announced on Tuesday 12 June to all the reporters and the translators the closing of Cambodge Soir and attributed the cause of the closing on “bankruptcy.” This announcement brought in a violent shock to the editorial team, and it brought the crisis to a severe level never before seen in the history of the company.

The possibility of hiring back the (fired) reporter, which was verbally mentioned in the last few days, will not be sufficient to re-establish the climate of trust needed for the long lasting continuation of the newspaper.

A redefinition of the newspaper organization – wanted by the editorial team – is deemed necessary for setting a solid basis for a restart of the work, following the announcement of the newspaper closing – a decision which the management seems to be backing off now.

Reporters and translators who showed up daily to the newspaper office since the beginning of the conflict, remind about their determination and their desire to hold real dialogue in order to find a lasting solution and to launch Cambodge Soir again.

The editorial team of Cambodge Soir,

Phnom Penh, Tuesday, June 19, 2007

For additional information: http://collectifcs.blogspot.com

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Communiqué de presse

Proposition de conciliation de la rédaction

La rédaction a proposé ce mardi 19 juin aux administrateurs et à la direction de Cambodge Soir une rencontre dans les locaux du journal jeudi 21 juin après-midi afin de leur soumettre une charte éditoriale et organisationnelle.

Les grévistes ont aujourd'hui refusé un rendez-vous proposé à la seule rédactrice en chef par le directeur et son adjointe mercredi matin, l'ordre du jour annoncé pour cette rencontre n'étant pas à la hauteur de la gravité de la situation et la direction ayant rejeté la présence d'un représentant cambodgien de la rédaction. A ce jour, la rédaction n'a par ailleurs obtenu aucune réponse écrite à ses demandes transmises à la direction lundi 11 juin concernant notamment les rapports entre la rédaction et la direction.

La grève a été décidée lundi 11 juin à l'unanimité des journalistes et des traducteurs de Cambodge Soir au lendemain de l'annonce de l'exclusion injustifiée et sans préavis d'un journaliste. Refusant la moindre discussion ou clarification sur cette exclusion, le directeur a annoncé brutalement mardi 12 juin à l'ensemble des journalistes et traducteurs la fermeture de Cambodge Soir pour « faillite ». Cette annonce a provoqué un choc violent dans la rédaction et a porté la crise à un niveau de gravité inédit dans l'histoire de l'entreprise.

La possible réintégration du journaliste, évoquée par oral ces derniers jours, ne suffira pas à rétablir un climat de confiance nécessaire à la pérennité du journal.

La redéfinition de l'organisation du journal, souhaitée par la rédaction, semble donc indispensable pour poser les bases solides d'une reprise du travail, à la suite de l'annonce de la fermeture du journal, décision sur laquelle la direction semble depuis être revenue.

Les journalistes et traducteurs, présents quotidiennement dans les locaux du journal depuis le début du conflit, rappellent leur détermination et leur volonté d'ouvrir un vrai dialogue afin de trouver une solution durable et de relancer Cambodge Soir.

La rédaction de Cambodge Soir,

Phnom Penh, mardi 19 juin 2007

http://collectifcs.blogspot.com

Announcing Cambodge Soir Editorial Team website

The Editorial Team of Cambodge Soir is proud to announce that it is starting a blog website where it will publish its communiqués and announcements regarding the evolution of the situation and the future or the newspaper.

The address of the blog website is:

http://collectifcs.blogspot.com

Unbeknown to the Editorial Team, the Cambode Soir website was abruptly shut down before the Editorial Team was able to inform the readers about the strike and the reasons which led to this strike at the newspaper. It appears that Cambodge Soir management decided to keep the Editorial Team in the dark regarding this website shut down.

Please help preserve an independent French and Khmer-language newspaper in Cambodia by sending in your email support to the Cambodge Soir Editorial Team at the following email address: collectifcs@gmail.com

Thank you!