The opposition overlooks the opposition newspapers

Opposition newspapers

17 April 2010
By Pen Bona
Radio France Internationale
Translated from Khmer by Komping Puoy
Click here to read the article in Khmer

[I]nformation publication is very important for any political party, overlooking this important issue is a serious political mistake that the opposition should revisit back

While publications that support the ruling party are flourishing from one year to another, newspapers that support the opposition party keep getting smaller. Currently, there is only one opposition newspaper on sale. It is the Moneaksekar Khmer (Khmer Consciense) which was recently back on print, following a period of suspension. Discrimination from the ruling party is one thing, but the lack of attention from the opposition party itself is another problem.

Among the newspapers that support the ruling party, in particular major newspapers that are published in color and feature several pages in length, there is only one opposition newspaper that can be found on the market currently: the Moneaksekar Khmer newspaper.

Not only is it poor in number, it also lacks resource, quality and professionalism. It is only a black and white newspaper that contains 4 pages, and it depends in a large part on its sale revenue as a source of income. In addition, it also receives some support from opposition officials and MPs.

There are several reasons to explain the lacking of the opposition newspapers:

(1) Discrimination from advertisers: It is true that there are no major businesses that want to advertise in an opposition newspaper because they want to project an image that their businesses are not linked to the opposition party. In Cambodia, projecting an image of coziness to the ruling party or to powerful officials is the favored method used by major businesses to protect their trade. Under this condition, where can the opposition newspaper find its advertising income?

(2) Opposition newspapers are usually discriminated by government officials. This means that reporters for opposition newspapers cannot obtain interviews from government officials, neither by phone or face to face. The problem stems from the fact that government officials do not want to talk to with opposition newspapers because they perceived that the opposition newspapers oppose them all the time, so much so that they hate the opposition newspapers and do not want to talk to them. Therefore, besides speeches or public statements, the opposition cannot receive any official information from government officials.

(3) The lack of attention from the opposition party itself: It is true that the opposition newspapers are discriminated by businesses and the ruling party, but this is not a surprising issue in Cambodia, even though such discriminations should never take place. However, what is most surprising is the lack of attention from the opposition party itself. This is an issue that is hard to understand. Even though they are called opposition newspapers, they received only little support from the opposition, both in terms of funding and moral support.

It is hard to believe when a number of opposition newspaper owners complained that the opposition leaders do not like to talk much with their newspapers because these newspapers are small and not very influential in the society. This creates difficulties for opposition newspapers to obtain words from the opposition leaders and they have to rely on quoting interviews from major newspapers or foreign news media instead. Without such quotes, the opposition newspapers would not have anything much to report about the opposition party that they support.

This situation and climate are the main reasons why opposition newspapers face difficulties and could easily be shut down when they are confronted with lawsuits or financial problems. In conclusion, information publication is very important for any political party, overlooking this important issue is a serious political mistake that the opposition should revisit back.

Moneaksekar Khmer set to publish again

Dam Sith's arrest (Photo: AFP)

Monday, 25 January 2010
Sam Rith and Sebastian Strangio
The Phnom Penh Post

THE publisher of opposition-aligned Moneaksekar Khmer newspaper has been granted permission to relaunch the daily more than six months after he ceased publication in response to the threat of criminal prosecution.

Dam Sith, the paper’s publisher and editor in chief, said he received permission from the Ministry of Information on Friday and expected publication to restart next month.

“I am now preparing relaunch,” he said Sunday, adding that the new-look daily would maintain its strong opposition stance. “I will keep the same position that was published before in order to keep our readership,” he said.

In July, government lawyers filed defamation, disinformation and incitement charges against Dam Sith for a series of articles criticising government officials. Dam Sith then wrote to Prime Minister Hun Sen with a “sincere apology” and promised to stop publishing in exchange for a pardon.

Information Minister Khieu Kanharith confirmed Sunday that he offered permission for the reopening of Moneaksekar Khmer, but said the move was nothing out of the ordinary.

“Before, he asked us to stop publishing the newspaper, and now he has asked us to reopen it, so there is not any problem,” he said.

Sam Rainsy Party spokesman Yim Sovann said Dam Sith, who also sits on the party’s Standing Committee, would stand firm in his intent to publish the truth, regardless of any government pressure.

“I think that SRP leaders are brave enough to continue their struggle for justice and a society that is clean,” he said.

Moeun Chhean Nariddh, director of the Cambodia Institute for Media Studies, said the relaunch of Moneaksekar Khmer would go some way towards filling the “information vacuum” that exists in the pro-government media sector.

But he said that last year’s closure amounted to a “serious blow” to opposition media that would inevitably make publishers and editors cautious.

“I don’t believe Moneaksekar Khmer will recover and regain its full confidence,” he said.

Following the CPP lawsuits, Moneaksekar Khmer is now accused of defamation by King Sihamoni’s personal supreme advisor: Bravo!?!?

Moneaksekar Khmer newspaper (Photo: RFA)

Moneaksekar Khmer accused of defamation article

21 Dec 2008
By Mayariddh Radio Free Asia
Translated from Khmer by Socheata

The office of the supreme advisor of the king accused the Moneaksekar Khmer newspaper of publishing a defamation article and it threatened to bring the newspaper to court.

The accusation was brought up by the office of the spokesman of Prince Norodom Ranariddh, the president of the personal supreme advisor of the king, last Thursday because the newspaper wrote an article in which it stated that the prince begged Prime minister Hun Sen to return back his house located in front Veal Meru (Veal Men) park, and the newspaper also accused the prince of requesting the nomination of about 200 useless people to positions in the king’s cabinet.

The office of the spokesman of the supreme personal advisor to the king wrote and told Moneaksekar Khmer to show proper proof and provide a correction to its article, otherwise, the prince will bring the newspaper to court.

Cambodia Sees Little Rights Progress

PHNOM PENH, Cambodia--Women walk past balloons bearing "Clean Hands" logo on the 60th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, Dec. 10, 2008. (Photo: AFP)

2008-12-11
Radio Free Asia

Local groups see no progress this year in human rights in Cambodia.

PHNOM PENH—Cambodians saw “no progress” this year in human rights, with human trafficking, forced evictions, and official impunity persisting as major concerns, according to Cambodian rights groups.

“Like last year, there has been no progress,” said LICADHO [Cambodian League for the Promotion and Defense of Human Rights] president Phung Chhiv-kek in an interview.

“The land issue, the human trafficking issue, and the issue of sexual assaults have remained problems,” he said.

Journalists also are subject to physical and legal attacks, leaving press freedoms a “mirage,” LICADHO director Naly Pilorge said.

In July, Moneakseaka Khmer columnist Khim Sambo was shot to death, along with his son, by still unidentified assailants.

In another case, RFA reporter Lem Pichpisey fled the country in the spring with his family after AK47 bullets were found lined up outside his home. The reporter and his family have since been granted protection by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees while they wait for relocation to a third country.

“As far as law enforcement is concerned, we see that many fundamental rules have been broken, especially by government officials and wealthy people,” Om Chandara, director of the Friends of Khmer Journalists Association, said.

“When you break the law, this violates human rights,” he said.

Freedom of assembly

Restrictions were also placed on freedom of assembly in 2008, said Ek Visarakhun, secretary-general of the Cambodian Journalists Council, pointing to what he called “a serious downturn” in the rights of citizens to publicly express their opinions.

“In many ways, we do not seem to have the freedom to stage demonstrations or take part in public gatherings,” he said.

Cambodian Center for Human Rights president Ou Virak agreed.

“The people’s right to freedom of movement has been barred, especially for protestors trying to bring their protests over land disputes to [the capital] Phnom Penh.”

Sam Viriya, a resident of Prampi Meakara ward in the capital, Phnom Penh, said that Cambodia’s human rights situation “is getting worse.”

“Our people have lost faith in the authorities,” he said. “When we have problems, such as complaints about human rights, we prefer going to the NGOs, since state institutions care only about their own problems.”

Calls seeking comment from the government-created National Committee for Human Rights were met with replies from subordinates saying their superiors were busy or traveling.

Poor record

The U.S. State Department, in its most recent report on human rights worldwide, said that Cambodia’s record in 2007 “remained poor,” citing arbitrary arrests, endemic corruption, forced evictions over land disputes, and continued human trafficking.

In a Dec. 10 statement marking the 60th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the Hong Kong-based Asian Human Rights Commission said that "in the field of civil and political rights as well as economic, social, and cultural rights, people in Asia ... have so little to celebrate."

"Even after 60 years of the adoption of this great declaration," the Commission said, "the gap between what is declared and what is actually achieved ... is enormous."

Original reporting by Hassan Kasem for RFA's Khmer service. Khmer service director: Sos Kem. Executive producer: Susan Lavery. Written in English by Richard Finney. Edited for the Web by Sarah Jackson-Han.

Murdered reporter's family: police probe not transparent [-Police: Blame delays on Hok Lundy's death -sic!-]

Khim Sambo and his son's funeral (Photo: RFA)

Tuesday, 02 December 2008
Written by Cheang Sokha
The Phnom Penh Post

A lack of information into the investigation of Khim Sambo's death has raised fears about its progress, family members, monitors say

FAMILY members of slain opposition journalist Khim Sambo and his 18-year-old son have expressed anger at the lack of transparency in the investigation of their deaths.

"It is really unjust for the victim. The relatives of the victims never receive any information on how [the investigation] is going," Khim Laurent, Khim Sambo's brother, told the Post Monday. He added that he had never received information from police on the state of the investigation.

Chan Soveth, a monitor for rights group Adhoc, said that despite repeated requests for information, he had also been shunned, with police declining to reveal any details of the case.

"We do not know how it has developed so far," he said. "We have asked for information, but police have tried to hide it from us."

Khim Sambo, who wrote for Moneaksekar Khmer, a daily paper affiliated with the opposition Sam Rainsy Party, was gunned down while on a motorbike with his 21-year-old son Khat Sarinpheata outside the Olympic Stadium.

Phnom Penh deputy police commissioner Hy Prou, who is in charge of the investigation, said that the probe was progressing but had been slow because of delays caused by the Water Festival and the death of the National Police Chief Hok Lundy.

"We have not completed our work yet," he told the Post Sunday.

John Johnson, a spokesman for the US embassy, said that the FBI, which joined the investigation in August, was making progress. "The investigation is ongoing," he said via email Monday.

FBI continues to investigate [on Khim Sambo's killers]

Friday, October 17, 2008
ABC Radio Australia

Two FBI agents who where helping Cambodian police investigate the murder of a Cambodian journalist have been sent home.

Human Rights organisations say their departure is a negative development in efforts to find his killers.

Presenter: Claudette Werden
Speakers: Vincent Brossel, Reporters without Borders; John Johnson, US Embassy Public Affairs Officer

Click here to listen to the Windows Media audio program

WERDEN: Khim Sambo was riding on the back of a motorcycle driven by his son when he was shot dead at close range. His son was also shot while cradling his dying father and later died in hospital. The killings occured just before Cambodia's general elections in July, then the theory was the journalist has been killed to create an atmosphere of fear ahead of the elections. At the time, the US government offered the services of the FBI. Then a second theory emerged saying the murders were linked to a personal dispute. But now a different story is emerging, just prior to his death Khim Sambo had written a critical article about Cambodia's police chief. Vincent Brossel from Reporters without Borders explains.

BROSSEL: Khim Sambo was working for an Opposition newspaper and he wrote a sensitive article about this police chief going to a casino and spending thousands and thousands of dollars and arresting the casino manager because the casino manager refused to give him more money so of course we have to be careful but that's something the investigation should clear . Vincent Brossel from Reporters without Borders .

WERDEN .Two weeks ago a story appeared in the South China Morning Post commenting on that article and providing a different theory for the journalist's murder. In that article Human Rights group speculate the killers, who were also riding a motorcycle had no fear of being arrested as they weren't wearing helmets and made no attempt to disguise their identity.

BROSSEL: The fact the FBI was involved in the investigation and now they're withdrawn after such a news article, so it means there is a big suspicion that there is a cover up of this case and once again we fear in Cambodia it will be impossible to know who are the killers and the masterminds of the killing.

WERDEN: Were they told to withdraw or they chose to withdraw?

BROSSEL: That's what we don't know, the US government is not very clear on this but I guess they feel that the investigation is not going on the right track.

WERDEN: The US government says its an ongoing investigation and it won't comment on the return of the FBI agents. But John Johnson the Public Affairs Officer at the US Embassy in Phnom Penh has been quoted as saying he's aware of human rights groups concern of a police cover-up.

JOHNSON: The FBI has provided a range of support to this investigation and we have somebody in country who continues to provide support when needed. Those two FBI agents were providing a different aspect of support, once their particular jobs were completed then they left the country, but that doesn't mean the FBI has completely withdrawn

WERDEN: Can you tell me what kind of support they were providing?

JOHNSON: No, actually this is again an open investigation and we don't comment on specifics.

FBI Begins Probe of Journalist's July Murder

By Heng Reaksmey, VOA Khmer
Original report from Phnom Penh
19 September 2008

Click here to listen to the Khmer audio program

Phnom Penh police officials met with FBI agents on Wednesday to discuss how the US agency might help in an ongoing investigation into the murders of opposition journalist Khim Sambor and his son.

The two parties reviewed what the Cambodian police have discovered so far and how they will cooperate, said Hy Prou, deputy chief of Phnom Penh police.

"The main point of the meeting required research into how we should conduct the investigation and what we should do first," he said. "But this is a first step."

Khim Sambor, who wrote for the opposition Moneaksekar Khmer newspaper, was killed on July 11, just two weeks before national elections. At least nine other journalists have been killed in Cambodia since 1994, according to the rights group Licadho.

Two FBI agents arrived in Phnom Penh Sunday and will stay for as long as they are needed, US Embassy spokesman John Johnson said.

"They're here to assist in the investigation, depending on the needs of the Ministry of Interior and the Cambodian police that are investigating it," he said, declining to comment on the specifics of the investigation. "The FBI is here to assist in any way possible, and we certainly hope that through this cooperation that the perpetrator of this crime can be brought to justice."

Chan Soveth, an investigator for the rights group Adhoc, said Friday he had little confidence the FBI would be able to find the killer without performing an independent investigation.

"We want the FBI to research this case independently," he said. "If the FBI researches independently, we hope they will find the real killer. But if the FBI researches without independence, I have no hope they will find the real killers."

The FBI also investigated the 1997 grenade attack on a group of opposition supporters, he said, but the investigation yielded no results. In that attack, at least 16 people were killed and one American was injured.

"I don't want the FBI to investigate Khim Sambor's killing like they did in 1997," Chan Soveth said.

Dam Sith, the editor of Moneaksekar Khmer, who was jailed for a week ahead of elections, said he welcomed the collaboration between the FBI and the police.

"I wish to see the real facts and justice without falsehood," he said.

Khim Lenin, 30, the youngest brother of Khim Sambor, appealed to the FBI and the police to find "the real killers of my brother."

"I don't believe the previous report of the police, that the killing was involved with Khim Sambor's son," he said. "As I understand, his son was a good person and never committed any wrongdoings. The same for Khim Sambor."

FBI arrives to 'support' police probe

Friday, 19 September 2008
Written by Vincent Macisaac
The Phnom Penh Post

Two agents from the US Federal Bureau of Investigation arrived in Phnom Penh this week to assist in the investigation of the murder of opposition journalist Khim Sambo and his son, a US embassy official has confirmed.

US embassy spokesman John Johnson said the agents arrived on Sunday, following a request from the Ministry of Interior, and that their role would be "purely supportive" of the Cambodian investigation.

Johnson said the agents have no definite timeframe for their involvement and could stay until the investigation is complete.

Phnom Penh's Deputy Police Chief Hy Prou, who is heading the investigation, said his police officials met with the agents Wednesday to discuss the case.

He said police currently have no leads on a suspect and that the complexities of the case have made investigation difficult.

But Chan Soveth, a program officer with the Cambodian rights group Adhoc, expressed concern that the FBI was not taking a more aggressive role in the investigation.

"If the FBI cannot work independently, [their assistance] is just a political game," he said.

Chan Soveth arrived at the scene of the July 11 double homicide about 30 minutes after it occurred and has been investigating the killings ever since.

According to Chan Soveth's recently completed preliminary assessment, Khim Sambo's reporting for the Sam Rainsy-affiliated newspaper Moneaksekar Khmer had frequently prompted threats from powerful individuals.

Contradicting claims made by some government officials, Chan Soveth said he found no evidence that either Khim Sambo or his son were involved in a personal dispute that could have triggered the killings.

IF THE FBI CANNOT WORK INDEPENDENTLY [THEIR ASSISTANCE] IS JUST A POLITICAL GAME.

Khim Sambo was killed instantly after being shot twice in the back while riding on a motorbike driven by his son, Chan Soveth said.

His son was also shot twice from behind and died later that night in a Phnom Penh hospital.

"The perpetrators had no fear of being arrested. They weren't wearing helmets and made no attempt to disguise their identity," he said.

Chan Soveth said he was able to gather information from those present during the crime after he arrived at the scene.

When he returned the next morning, no one would speak to him.

Chan Soveth declined to say who he believed was responsible for the killings.
"I want to continue living in Cambodia," he said.

ADDITIONAL REPORTING BY CHEANG SOKHA

FBI Team En Route To Aid Murder Case

By Heng Reaksmey, VOA Khmer
Original report from Phnom Penh
04 September 2008

Click here to listen to the Khmer audio program

A team of FBI investigators will arrive in Cambodia later this month to help police investigate the murder of opposition journalist Khim Sambor.

The team will include at least two sketch artists, said Phnom Penh Police Chief Brig. Gen. Touch Naroth.

Cambodian police and the FBI will meet one or two times a week to exchange information on the investigation, he said. Police met with an FBI official from the US Embassy last week, he said.

Khim Sambor was shot dead in Phnom Penh on July 11, along with his 21-year-old son, Khat Sarin Pheatha, two weeks ahead of national elections, and his killers are still at large.

Touch Naroth said Thursday the motive was not considered political, but police believe the killers were targeting Khim Sambor's son.

Khim Sambor's wife and two daughters were quietly granted asylum and fled to a Western country in late August, Chan Saveth, an investigator for the rights group Adhoc, said Thursday.

Family members of assassinated journalist left Cambodia

04 September 2008
By Leang Delux
Cambodge Soir Hebdo
Translated from French by Luc Sâr
Click here to read the original article in French

The departure was motivated by security reason, meanwhile an FBI agent will attempt to obtain a composite sketch of the killers of Khim Sambo and his son.

Accompanied by her two children, the wife of Khim Sambo, the opposition journalist who was killed alongside his son during the election campaign last July, left the country two weeks ago. The news was revealed by Chan Soveth, an investigator for Licadho. This departure was organized following the intervention made by three human rights organizations: Adhoc, Licadho and the UNHCR office in Cambodia.

Chan Soveth indicated also that other witnesses of the crime are now in hiding for security measure. According to Chan Soveth, the main reason which motivated this departure is because “the family has no confidence in the police because, up to now, the killers have not been arrested yet.” The current destination of the family is held in secret.

Touch Naroth, the Phnom Penh police commissioner, said that this situation will not help the case. He recognized that this departure will “create an obstacle to the investigation, but this will not prevent the FBI and the Cambodian police to pursue the search.”

Touch Naroth dismissed the declarations made by human rights organizations reagrding the lack of confidence in the police. “These associations say nonsense, if the family has no confidence in the police, who can they have confidence on?” Touch Naroth asked.

Following its initial focus on Khim Sambo himself, the investigations are now focused on his son. “The FBI and us agree on this point,” Touch Naroth claimed. Why the focus on the son? Because according to a hospital report, one of the doctors who took care of him when he arrived at the emergency room, heard him whispering that he was killed because of a “grudge.”

In the upcoming days, two new FBI agents are expected to arrive in Phnom Penh – an investigator and a composite sketcher who will be in charge of obtaining a sketch of the killers based on descriptions provided by witnesses.

Ministry Yet to Detail FBI Aid in [Khim Sambor's] Murder Case

Khim Sambo during his funeral ceremony (Photo: Xinhua)

By Heng Reaksmey, VOA Khmer
Original report from Phnom Penh
26 August 2008

The Ministry of Interior has formed an "investigation committee" to determine how to move forward in the murder case of opposition journalist Khim Sambor, an official said Tuesday.

The ministry has received a letter from the FBI, but the investigation committee will decide how the FBI can help, said Interior Ministry spokesman Lt. Gen. Khieu Sopheak told VOA Khmer.

The ministry has requested the help of the FBI, but US officials said this week they were still waiting for a specific responses on how the US agency might help the investigation.

"We're still waiting," former US ambassador Joseph Mussomeli told reporters before leaving the country Monday. "We are still awaiting from the police a list of exactly what they think they need from us."

"We have very good ideas of what they need from us, and we are sharing that as well," Mussomeli said.

The FBI could help, for example, through the use of a sketch artist or forensic specialists, US Embassy spokesman John Johnson said Tuesday.

Khim Sambor was shot dead in Phnom Penh on July 11, along with his son, two weeks ahead of national elections. No suspect has been arrested.

Khim Sambor’s killing: Police focus the investigation on his son [-When all else fail, accuse somebody else instead!]

21 August 2008
Leang Delux
Cambodge Soir Hebdo
Translated from French by Luc Sâr
Click here to read the original article in French

After believing that the father, an opposition journalist, was the target of the killers, the police are now wondering if the son was not the target instead.

In spite of the FBI help, Cambodian police have a hard time advancing their investigation.

“Up to now, we focused our research on the father, but now, we have more reasons to believe that the son was the target of this double murder,” said Touch Naroth, the Phnom Penh police commissioner.

While the election campaign was in full swing last 11 July, 47-year-old Khim Sambor, a journalist for the opposition Moneaksekar Khmer daily newspaper, and his 21-year-old son was killed in the middle of the street while they were leaving the Olympic Stadium.

Opposition journalists fear secret police are watching

Dam Sith is seen in a car’s rearview mirror as he leaves Prey Sar prison in June. He has since left the country. (Photo: HENG CHIVOAN)

Wednesday, 20 August 2008
Written by Meas Sokchea
The Phnom Penh Post

Their colleague was assassinated, their editor-in-chief left the country, now they feel they’re being monitored by police

TWO reporters from the opposition-aligned newspaper Moneaksekar Khmer fear that police are conducting a secret investigation of their activities, one of the reporters told the Post on Monday.

Vong Sopheak and his brother, Vong Sopheap, both journalists at the newspaper, said a group of men followed and photographed them during a demonstration on Sunday in front of the Free Trade Union offices to protest the presence of Thai soldiers at the Preah Vihear temple complex.

"A journalist at the event told me the men asked about me and wanted to know what newspaper I worked for," Vong Sopheap said. "They already knew we worked for Moneaksekar Khmer."

The brothers claim that they have been followed since July 12, when they took part in a celebration of slain Moneaksekar Khmer journalist Khim Sambo, who was gunned down with his son a day earlier. A group of plainclothes men took several photographs of them during the event, according to Vong Sopheap.

The same group of men followed the brothers during the trade union demonstration, Vong Sopheap said, adding that he and his brother argued with the men when they began taking pictures of them and demanded that the photos be deleted.

Formal complaint needed

Touch Naruth, head of the Phnom Penh Municipal Police, said that if the journalists were being intimidated or harassed, they should file a formal complaint. Until they did so, there was nothing that he could do.

"The police have no policy of photographing people, except to document illegal activities and to keep as evidence in case of a complaint against police," said Touch Naruth.

"We have no need to photograph Moneaksekar Khmer journalists. There is nothing to see there."

Dam Sith, editor-in-chief of Moneaksekar Khmer, left the country August 5 for the United States.

He was arrested in June on charges of defamation and spreading disinformation over an article from April 18 linking Foreign Affairs Minister Hor Namhong to the Khmer Rouge. He served one week in prison before Prime Minister Hun Sen requested his release on bail.

Dam Sith, Moneaksekar Khmer editor, left for the US

Cambodian editor in chief fled for U.S. for sake of safety

PHNOM PENH, Aug. 18 (Xinhua) -- Dam Sith, editor in chief for the Khmer Conscience News, which is closed related with the major opposition Sam Rainsy Party (SRP), has secretly fled Cambodia for U.S. for the sake of his safety, national media said Monday.

Sith was once jailed over accusation by Foreign Minister Hor Namhong for defamation. His part-time colleague, journalist Khim Sambo, was shot dead on street and the murderer is still at large.

"Dam Sith has left because his life was in danger," English-Khmer language newspaper the Mekong Times quoted SRP deputy secretary general Mu Sochua as saying.

"His career as an editor is under threat as one of his colleagues was killed and the authorities haven't found the killers. Politics is also involved as he is a SRP member," she added.

Meanwhile, SRP lawmaker Son Chhay said that Dam Sith had been very worried about his safety and with the help of SRP, he received a visa from the U.S. Embassy before the general election in July.

Mu Sochua said that the editor in chief will return to Cambodiaas soon as the situation becomes stable and his personal safety is ensured.

More than 10 reporters and editors have been killed since the 1990s in the kingdom. None of the cases are settled yet.

Justice for Slain Journalist: US Congressman

US Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ)

By Sok Khemara, VOA Khmer
Original report from Washington
08 August 2008

Click here to listen to the Khmer audio program

A US congressman warned this week the killers of opposition journalist Khim Sambor should be brought to justice.

"Whoever killed him needs to be held accountable," said Representative Christopher Smith, a Republican. If those who did the killing were under instruction from an official, "that individual needs to be held accountable as well."

Kim Sambor was gunned down with his son on a Phnom Penh street July 11, two weeks ahead of national elections. No one has been arrested in the murder, which opposition reporters said created a chilling effect on their coverage of the government and the ruling Cambodian People's Party.

The Cambodian people should not have to tolerate such unresolved murders, Smith said, calling on Prime Minister Hun Sen to "do everything to cooperate" and go "wherever" the investigation leads.

The US said earlier this week the FBI had been asked to help investigate the murder.

Smith, who works closely with human rights issues, said public officials should be open to criticism, "because that's how you hold them accountable."

"I don't like it when I am criticized, but I know it's part of a larger and very important principle," he said.

Twelve journalists have been killed in Cambodia since 1994, but no suspects have been arrested in the crimes.

Cambodian police unsure if shot journalist was killers' target

Aug 6, 2008
DPA

Phnom Penh - A joint inquiry by Cambodian police and the US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) into the murder of an opposition journalist and his son is investigating whether the son and not his father was the real target, a senior official said Wednesday.

Interior Ministry spokesman Khieu Sopheak said the investigation had so far turned up few leads in the July 11 murders and police were ruling out nothing.

International condemnation followed the double shooting of 47-year-old Khim Sambo, a journalist for the Moneaksekar Khmer newspaper, which supports the opposition Sam Rainsy Party (SRP), and his son Khat Sarinpheata, 19, a university student, on a busy street in the capital.

The government's questionable human rights record and the proximity of the killing to national elections two weeks later led the SRP and rights groups, including New York-based Human Rights Watch, to point the finger at the government and demand answers.

'We are still wondering if this is a case of politics or not,' Sopheak said. 'Why would the killers have turned back after killing the father and then shoot the son if they only wanted to kill the journalist? We want to solve this as soon as possible.'

Witnesses said two men on a motorbike wearing baseball caps pulled up to the pair at about 7:30 pm and shot Sambo at close range before speeding away, only to return within seconds and shoot the previously unscathed son.

The FBI investigated a 1997 grenade attack on an opposition rally led by Sam Rainsy in which at least a dozen people were killed and opposition leader Rainsy sustained minor injuries.

The report has never been released, despite SRP demands, and were the culprits not identified.

FBI to Aid in Case of Murdered Journalist

By Ratana Seng
Original report from Phnom Penh
04 August 2008

The Ministry of Interior has accepted an offer of help from the FBI in investigating the pre-election murder of an opposition journalist, officials said Monday.

Ministry of Interior spokesman Khieu Sopheak said Prime Minister Hun Sen on Friday had accepted the FBI's help in the case of Khim Sambor, and opposition journalist, and his son, who were both killed July 11 in a Phnom Penh shooting, two weeks before the national elections.

The cooperation met with approval from many Monday, but it remained unclear what role the US agency would play.

Kim Sambor's daughter, Kath Sarinda, 24, said she supported the cooperation.

"I hope that they will bring in the real killer, not the fake killer, like in the Chea Vichea case," she said.

Labor leader Chea Vichea was shot dead in 2004, and two men widely considered innocent each received 20-year prison sentences for the murder.

The US Embassy received an official request from the Ministry of Interior, , a US Embassy spokesman said. It was too early to speculate how the FBI might help, the spokesman, John Johnson, said.

The FBI will make the investigation faster, he said, because the FBI has more experience and resources.

Phnom Penh Police Chief Touch Naroth said he would be happy to work with the FBI in an investigation that is already underway.

Moneaksekar Khmer editor Dam Sith welcomed the aid of the FBI, and Adhoc director Thun Saray called it a "positive" signal.

If a killer is not found with the help of the FBI, public opinion will be more calm, Thun Saray said. The cooperation will be seen as an opening of the government to international police efforts, showing a greater will for Cambodia to find the killer.

Twelve reporters have been killed since 1994, but is the first time the FBI has helped in such an investigation.

FBI to aid Cambodia in probing murder of reporter

PHNOM PENH, Aug. 4 (Xinhua) -- The Cambodian government has accepted an offer of assistance from the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) in pursuing the July 11 murder of opposition party-affiliated journalist Khim Sambo and his son, national media said Monday.

The U.S. Embassy on July 14 offered the help to investigate the drive-by shooting on street and the Cambodian Interior Ministry officially accepted the offer late Friday evening, English-Khmer language newspaper the Cambodia Daily quoted embassy spokesman John Johnson as saying.

It was too early to provide details about how FBI would help in the investigation, he added.

Khim Sambo was part-time reporter for the Khmer Conscience News, which is closely related to the opposition Sam Rainsy Party. He used to write about the corruption acts of senior government officials of Cambodia.

FBI opened its Phnom Penh Legal Attache office on Feb. 1 inside the U.S. Embassy.

Khim Sambo's exchanged for Democracy - A Khmer poem by Yim Guechsè

Poem by Yim Guechsè (on the web at http://kamnapyimguechse.blogspot.com)

Cambodia calls in FBI to help find journalist's killer

Sat, 02 Aug 2008
DPA

Phnom Penh - Cambodia has called on the US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) to help find the killer of an opposition journalist and his son, who were gunned down last month during the the national election campaign, a government spokesman said Saturday. Police General Khieu Sopheak, spokesman for the Interior Ministry, said that Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen and Interior Minister Sar Kheng, in the interests of transparency, had decided Friday to call in the FBI over the slaying of Khim Sambo.

"We want this to be public knowledge," Khieu Sopheak said.

The July 12 double slaying of 47-year-old Khim Sambo, a journalist for the opposition Sam Rainsy Party (SRP) newspaper Moneaksekar Khmer, and his teenaged son Khat Sarinpheata brought international condemnation.

Although the government has denied any knowledge of the killings, its questionable human-rights record has made it the target of suspicion from groups including the SRP - the second political party in the country - and New York-based Human Rights Watch.

The FBI also investigated a 1997 grenade attack on an SRP rally in which at least 16 people were killed and SRP leader Sam Rainsy sustained minor injuries. The culprits are still at large.

The ruling Cambodian People's Party won a landslide victory in Sunday's elections, but opposition groups have cited the killings, claiming they could have intimidated voters - a claim the government has angrily denied.