Imminent demise of KI-Media website: High-ranking Cambodian gov't official

To KI-Media and its supporters:

I am a high-ranking official within the Cambodian government. I am here to warn you that we are monitoring your defamatory and terrorist activities on this website.

We are in contact with Google, the owner of Blogspot, to have your site taken down.

While we support free speech, we cannot condone anarchic defamation of Samdech Hun Sen and the Government of Cambodia by anonymous sources.

These actions are abusive and irresponsible and do not meet the standards of legitimate journalism, and for these reasons we view it necessary to have this site taken down.

You have been warned.

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Respected KI-Media Readers,

After the warning above, it appears that KI-Media days are now numbered. News and information postings on this site seem to have direct effect on the repressive Cambodian government which cannot tolerate criticisms of its oppression against the innocent Cambodian people.

Nevertheless, we find it rather amusing that a “high-ranking official within the Cambodian government” chooses to post his warning anonymously. Could it be possible that he is afraid to reveal his identity? As far as we can tell, the Cambodian government wields complete control over Cambodia, especially after it was able to capture the entire power following the “not-so-democratic” 27 July election, therefore, reading about an “anonymous” high-ranking official appears highly odd, if not highly amusing, to us. One of our team members was wondering if, by any chance, such code of conduct is not condone by the Cambodian government, and that is the reason why this so-called “high-ranking official” chose to remain anonymous?

Regardless of who this official is, Dear KI-Media Readers, you should not be surprised if one day you will find that the KI-Media website is no longer there, we still hope that you have learned a lot about the misery of Khmer people under the current regime. To us, it is regrettable that the current Cambodian government leaders, most of whom were Khmer Rouge cadres from the “genocidal” Pol Pot regime, forgot so quickly the teaching of Mao Zedong, their communist guru, who once said: "Let flowers of many kinds blossom, diverse schools of thought contend". In any case, should KI-Media be shut down, we hope that several thousands of KI-Media-like websites will spring up to spread the message of democracy in Cambodia, and continue our work where it will be left off.

With out utmost respect,

KI-Media team

Rebuttals to Insulting Remarks/Cartoons or Comments [KI-Media potential shutdown?]

Dear Ki-Media Team,

I was interested in your remarks in response to the note from the Australia-Cambodia Association published on Friday 7 October 2007. I must say that I was pleasantly surprised to read the note from ACA as I have not been associated with its activities for many years.

However, the point that I would like to bring to your considerate attention is that in your response to ACA you feel that any reader of KI-Media is entitled to write in response to information posted, this is perfectly right and you are commended for it. I also accept and respect the right of other readers of KI-Media not to like me or to disagree with what I have written, but what I think is totally unacceptable is that in response to well researchers articles which were not published in the KI-Media in the first place, I get insulted and offensive cartoons are made by Mr. Bun Heang (whom I have never met and have never spoken to) and given wide publicity by your site.

In the articles I have published, after many years of research in Australia, Cambodia, China, France, Thailand,the UK, and interviews of US, French, Australians and other officials/diplomats, I have not used offensive language and I have not insulted anyone. For instance, in my UPI Commentary reproduced by you recently, I disagreed with Dr. Lao but I did not insult him nor did I use offensive language to respond to his arguments.

The problems that arises is how do you reply to insulting and obscene comments made always anonymously by the majority of your readers who use offensive, obscene and foul language and, of course, are protected by their anonymity. I have always used my name when writing about the history of Cambodia or Cambodian contemporary history, I have never chosen anonymity in order to make obscene comments or use fool language to respond to comments by your readers.

For many months already in KI-Media there have been constant insulting remarks and cartoons against Vietnamese, just because they happen to be Vietnamese. There have also been insulting remarks and obscene cartoons against HM the King Father, King Sihamoni and other members of the Royal Family of Cambodia. Again, I repeat, I do not ask your anonymous readers to love or respect the members of the Royal Family of Cambodia but by publishing their anonymous insulting and hateful remarks I hope that you at KI-Media realize that you are in breach of Google's Blogger Content Policy, which clearly states that:

HATEFUL CONTENT: Users may not publish material that promotes hate toward groups based on race or ethnic origin, religion, disability, gender, age, veteran status, and sexual orientation/gender identity.

VIOLENT CONTENT: Users may not publish direct threats of violence against any person or group of people.

Your readers must be made aware that by using insulting,hateful or obcene language in comments or drawings they are breaking the rules and regulations of the blog and that both KI-Media and the readers may be subjected to legal action. It would be a terrible lost to those seriously interested in information about Cambodia if your blog where to be shut down by Google Inc. because of the actions of some of your readers.

Also, with respect, by allowing this kind of insulting and obscene commentary and cartoons in your blog you are not, I am afraid. contributing to enhancing democracy and freedom of expression in today's Cambodia. You often attack in KI-Media the actions of the Cambodian government curtailing democracy development and freedom of expression, and you are right about it, but I fear you are also contributing to curtailing those freedoms by allowing the publications of anonymous offensive and insulting comments against any writer/commentator with whom your readers do not agree.

Yours faithfully,

(JULIO A. JELDRES)

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From Ambassador Julio A. Jeldres
Official Biographer to H.M. the King Father, Samdech Preah Upayuvareach Norodom Sihanouk of Cambodia
(Fax and e-mail address withheld by KI-Media)