RFA Khmer Service’s employee firing saga continues

Friday, October 09, 2009
KI-Media

San Suwidh, another RFA employee, was fired from his job at 6PM on Thursday 08 October 2009, DAP-news reported on its website. San Suwidh was allegedly fired because he kept on criticizing the new policy adopted by RFA Khmer Service’s administration in the firing of other employees that led to protest and tire burning. Currently, the director of RFA Khmer Service is Kem Sos, and his deputy is Sam Poly who recently occupies this position.

Fired RFA employees are sending their grievances to the ministry of Labor

Fired RFA employees protest by burning a tire (Photo: Vannara, RFI)

03 October 2009
By Ky Soklim
Radio France Internationale
Translated from Khmer by Socheata

Fired RFA employees have sent their grievances to the Cambodian ministry of Labor. Meanwhile, Hun Xen is also pushing RFA to respect the work rights of its employees.

Employees of RFA Khmer Service, who were fired at the end of September, have sent their grievances to the Cambodian ministry of labor yesterday, asking that the ministry help resolve this dispute through legal means.

At the end of September, 5 RFA reporters and employees saw their work contract cancelled one after another.

On Saturday 03 October, Huy Vannak, a reporter who was also fired, said that he wants the director of RFA Khmer Service [Kem Sos?] to resolve the employee firing issue according to the law. This is the reason why he sent his grievance to the ministry of Labor. He indicated that his group was not fired according to the law. Huy Vannk added that he did not commit any professional mistake, but yet he was fired.

A RFA reporter who declined to give his name said that the demand made by the reporters who were fired was not made just for work and salary purposes only, but that the demand was made so that the RFA administration resolve this issue according to the law.

Today, Sam Poly, the deputy director of RFA Khmer Service, declined to comment on this issue that affects RFA.

However, one RFA reporter who is still work there reacted to the statements made by the fired reporters, the reporter indicated that these employees were not fired but that their contracts ended. This reporter also indicated that this is only a reform within RFA only.

Regarding this affair that is taking place at this US radio station, yesterday, PM Hun Sen called on RFA representatives to respect its employees’ rights according the labor law.

Regarding the RFA case, the Club of Cambodian Journalists also called on both sides to resolve the dispute through legal means.

Sacrava's RFA Cartoon: The Asora is called "Aa Mieng Kayeh"

Cartoon by Sacrava (on the web at http://sacrava.blogspot.com)

23 Dec 2006
By Chey Dara
Sralanh Khmer
Translated from Khmer by Heng Soy

Sok Serei, RFA’s reporter who was injured in an accident last week, asked Sam Rainsy, SRP President, to look after Kem Sos, RFA Khmer Service director, because he (Kem Sos) undertook several irregular actions.

In a statement made to Sam Rainsy in front of reporters, in Calmette hospital, on Thursday morning, when Sam Rainsy went to visit him, Sok Serei claimed that his corruption reports involving government officials that he planned on broadcasting had been prevented by Kem Sos who said that these corrupt officials are his friends and close acquaintances. Sok Serei who was seriously injured to his head, but with improving condition, said that Kem Sos should not mix up professional work with his personal feelings.

Sam Rainsy declined to comment when asked by reporters on the issue raised by this RFA reporter, he said that his visit to Sok Serei at his Calmette hospital bed was mainly because he knew Sok Serei.

Sok Serei also told Sam Rainsy in front of reporters that people are after him because of his reporting on corruptions perpetrated by government officials.

Sok Serei indicated to Sam Rainsy that on some stories, he has to oppose Kem Sos and broadcast stories involving corrupt officials. Sok Serei said that he is certain his determination to publish these stories was the cause of his accident.

Sralanh Khmer could not contact Mr. Kem Sos for clarifications regarding the criticisms raised by Sok Serei. However, an anonymous RFA reporter told Sralanh Khmer that Kem Sos bears several suspecting points.

A few years ago, Mr. Pin Samkhon was removed from his position as RFA director because he was suspected of being indulgent with several government officials and that this affected the work of RFA.

Tire burning protest in front of RFA office following the firing of 4 employees and preventing them from protesting

Fired RFA employees burnt a tire to protest in front of RFA office (Photo: Khmer Sthabna)

26 September 2009
By Sopheak and Sopheap
Khmer Sthabna
Translated from Khmer by Socheata
Click here to read the article in Khmer

The firing of 4 Radio Free Asia (RFA) employees and the work contract reduction for a fifth employee without providing a reasonable explanation, the prevention of these employees to protest against these firings and their evictions out of the RFA office on 25 September led to a tire burning protest. The protesters were wearing mask to symbolize the fact their freedom of speech was silenced by the administrators of RFA, a radio station that is supported by the US government.

The 4 former RFA employees gathered in front of the RFA office, located on Street No. 240 (behind the royal palace), at 7PM on 25 September 2009 to burn the tire in protest.

Phan Sophat (aka Ath Bonny) claimed in the evening of 25 September at the protest location that 4 employees were fired one after another on 25 September 2009. They are: Mrs. Sean Sophorn, Mr. Huy Vannak, Mr. Um Vun, Mr. Thai Sothea. Phan Sophat said that his 1-year work contract was cut down to 3-month instead. RFA administrators did not allow these 5 employees to lodge their protest (no comment?) and security guards walked them out of their offices.

Phan Sophat told reporters that silencing their freedom to protest is likened to the situation in Tuol Sleng (S-21) jail under the Khmer Rouge regime. Furthermore, even under the KR, they allowed the prisoners to criticize somewhat, but in the case of the sacked RFA employees, they were not allowed to comment on their firing at all. Such action is very shameful because RFA belongs to the US.

Thai Sothea, the RFA Khmer Service website admin who was also fired, indicated: “They (Kem Sos, the RFA Khmer Service director, and US administrators) did not allow us to lodge a protest at all.” Phan Sophat added that the 5 RFA employees suffer from injustice and they sent a letter to the US embassy in Cambodia, a protest letter to the Cambodian ministry of Labor, to the unions, and they also sued for employment termination without reasonable cause.

Phan Sophat also added that: “Originally, Seang Sophorn was improperly fired, in violation of the labor law, i.e. she was only informed verbally about her firing and no advance notice was provided to her. Such action is a violation of law and the human rights. So we helped her protest by telling [RFA’s administrators] that such firing is improper, RFA should set the example. If I did something bad, how can I go interview people? How can I tell others what to do? If people ask me about the law, how can I answer them? Therefore, [RFA] cannot afford to take such bad action.”

Phan Sophat indicated also that, with many employees protesting, RFA decided to fire 2 additional employees. As for himself, Phan Sophat said that he was not fired, he was told earlier to continue his 1-year contract, but in the morning of 25 September, he was informed that his contract was reduced to 3-month instead without any explanation provided to him, i.e. “no comment, no opinion, no discussion.” In this case, Norm Thompson (?), the US RFA vice-chairman, did no respect human rights and the labor law.

Phan Sophat added that RFA journalists usually report about the firing of factory workers by owners who violate the law and human rights, but when it is RFA’s turn to violate the law, how can he interview anybody? Phan Sophat regrets the action taken by RFA which serves as a forum in the past 12 years (from 1997 to 24 September 2009), and he said that the fired RFA employees dedicated themselves to their work and they even risked their own lives in the past when the situation was still unstable, they did all these because they love freedom.

At 7:30PM on 25 September, the 4 RFA employees fired dropped their protest letter to Ambassador Carol Rodley at the US embassy in Phnom Penh. They also met with John Johnson, the embassy spokesman on that same evening and they requested him to help resolve this problem with RFA administrators who fired them.

Phan Sophat canned by RFA for striking: Is this the democracy example RFA intends to show Cambodians?

(Photo: DAP news)

RFA fires another employee today

26 September 2009
DAP news
Translated from Khmer by Heng Soy

The leader of the strike against the despotism and nepotism at Radio Free Asia was fired this Saturday. This latest firing adds fuel to the protest [by those employees who were fired].

Phan Sophat (aka Ath Bonny) was the 5th (4th?) man fired by RFA. He indicated that he could not stand to look at his colleagues being fired one after another.

Phan Sophat’s firing was announced in a communiqué distributed on Saturday after he participated in a work boycott and he also participated in a tire burning-strike held in the evening of Friday 25 September.

Letter from RFA employees kicked by out by Mr. Kem Sos to US Ambassador Carol A. Rodley

September 25, 2009

Ms. Ambassador Carol A. Rodley
The US Ambassador to Cambodia

Dear Ms. Ambassador,

We are writing today to seek your intervention over an improper action that the management of Radio Free Asia-Khmer Service (RFA) has taken against one reporter and two editors.

Let us brief you the background stories. On Sunday, September 20th 2009, our reporter Mrs. Seang Sophorn received verbal notice from RFA-Khmer Service Director Mr. Kem Sos that her contract to be terminated on September 30th by saying that RFA has ran out of budget. Mrs. Sophorn told us about her issue that “this is unfair, injustice, and abuse of the labor law because the termination is in a short notice and without legitimate reasons.”

On September 23rd, we, eight staff, sent email to Mr. Kem Sos urging to reconsider Mr. Sophorn’s case in the hope she might be able to get back to work. In the meantime, we met RFA Vice President Mr. Dan Southerland to extend to him our grievances and seek his intervention on Mrs. Sophorn’s case. We shared our view with Mr. Dan that “this action set not a good example, but fear, dread and unhealthy working environment. This action may also generate the question who will be the next?” Surprisingly, a day after the meeting with Mr. Vice President, Mrs. Sophorn received the phone call ordering her to leave RFA-Phnom Penh office right away.

On September 25th, Mr. Kem Sos organized a special meeting with three of us who joint the meeting with Mr. Vice President. The meeting lasted about 3 minutes. He said that RFA needs to restructure staff and this is the policy from the top management in Washington DC. No discussion. Mr. Kem Sos announced that your contracts were terminated and this is your last day with RFA.

We had worked for RFA for four years to support for freedom of expression and just cause. We consider the action against us is to silence those speak the truth and dare to defense innocence colleagues. This act clearly violates basic human rights and the law.

Therefore, we urge you to convey our grievances to the US Congress, the Senate and American tax-payers. We also urge you to call on RFA management not to punish and fire other staff the way they did to us.

Sincerely yours,

Ath Bonny (alias Phan Sophat), editor
Huy Vannak, editor
Seang Sophorn, reporter
Thai Sothea, Web editor

For more information, please contact:
Phan Sophat at 016-958-808
Huy Vannak at 011-248-299; email: huy_vannak@yahoo.com

cc:

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