Radio daze: Stations put kibosh on poll news

Monday, 04 June 2012
Shane Worrell
The Phnom Penh Post

Radio daze

Hosts of a radio show scheduled to broadcast commune election news yesterday were forced to play music instead after pressure from the government, its spokesman told the Post.

Pa Nguon Teang, executive director of the Cambodian Centre for Independent Media, said Voice of Democracy, an independent media outlet, had planned to broadcast election news on Sarika FM 106.5 in Phnom Penh and Angkor Ratha FM 95.5 in Siem Reap.

Management of both stations, however, intervened to stop the content being aired.

CCIM Press Release - Ministry banned radio broadcasti​ng on commune election day

IRI stops financing democracy broadcasting in Cambodia

Media: Cold sweat at VOD

30 August 2008
By Nhim Sophal
Cambodge Soir Hebdo
Translated from French by Luc Sâr
Click here to read the original article in French

The International Republican Institute no longer finances the Voice of Democracy (VOD). The news came down on Saturday 30 August. This is important news because each year, the IRI provided $300,000 to this independent radio, i.e. almost the entire yearly budget for the VOD which amounts to $350,000. Pa Nguon Tieng, VOD director, assured that the IRI pullout will not lead to the VOD disappearance, nor to the firing of the 34 VOS staff members. “We will continue to broadcast normally. We have other sponsors who are willing to step in to fill the (IRI shoe),” Pa Nguon Tieng explained. Nevertheless, the latter refused to reveal the identity of his partners, similarly he will remain discreet on the reason of the departure of the IRI which remained at VOD’s side for the past five years. Um Sarin, President of the Cambodian Association for the Protection of Journalists, deplored the IRI pullout: “VOD is a quality radio program. The news media are the eyes of the democracy. The disengagement of the IRI constitutes a withdrawal at this level.” Voice of Democracy broadcasts its program on 5 stations: FM105 in Phnom Penh, FM90.25 in Battambang and Oddar Meanchey, FM95.5 in Siem Reap, FM88.5 in Kampong Thom.

Organizers: Pro-Democracy Forum Barred by Authorities

Heng Reaksmey, VOA Khmer
Original report from Phnom Penh
26 October 2007

A pro-democracy forum was thwarted by police and military in Stung Treng province Friday, organizers said, while police said they were breaking up an unlawful gathering.

The Voice of Democracy, an a radio program of the Cambodian Center for Human Rights, planned to hold a forum Friday, but program director Pa Nguon Teang said dozens of police and military were deployed outside the gates of the venue that morning, barring villagers from "listening and expressing opinions," in "a violation of the freedom of expression."

Police and soldiers "came to tell us last night not to [hold the forum], and they ordered the structure to be dismantled this morning," Pa Nguon Teang said. "But we did not dismantle it.…This morning, the only goal was not to let us have the forum."

Stung Treng Police Chief Chhuk Komol said police were dispatched to stop an illegal assembly.

"The story is not true. The forum should have had permission from the provincial authorities," he said. Instead, "they do whatever they want, not abiding by law, and they finish their work according to what they want to do."

The head of the new Human Rights Party, an opposition upstart for next year's national elections, is Kem Sokha, the former director of the Cambodian Center for Human Rights. Chan Saveth, an investigator for the rights group Adhoc, said the authorities had violated the group's right to assemble.

He compared the authorities to a snail in a Cambodian fable. In it, a rabbit and snail agree to race around a pond. But the snail organizes a relay with other strategically placed snails, so that whenever the racing rabbit calls out, the snail in front of him answers. The rabbit is thus tricked into believing he has lost the race.

PPenh muzzling information (Part 2): Ministry of Information says no to additional radio stations

Wednesday, September 05, 2007
Everyday.com.kh
Translated from Khmer by Socheata

The Ministry of Information rejected a license request made Pa Nguon Tieng, president of the Cambodian Voice of Democracy, to set up a new radio station. The Koh Santepheap newspaper reported that, in a letter dated 30 August, Khieu Kanarith, the minister of information, wrote that his ministry has ended all license request to set up new radio and TV stations, until the audiovisual law is be in place. Furthermore, Khieu Kanharith said that, currently, the number of radio and TV stations in the provinces and cities is way too much more that the needs, and they also interrupt the broadcasts made by Phnom Penh or by other local stations. On 02 August, Pa Nguon Tieng applied to obtain a license to operate a radio station to broadcast information about human rights and democracy.

Popular Voice of Democracy broadcast dealt with a severe blow after Kem Sokha's departure

Reduced hours for Voice of Democracy broadcast

Monday, June 04, 2007
Everyday.com.kh
Translated from Khmer by Heng Soy

Voice of Democracy (VOD), which is financially supported by USAID, had reduced its number of broadcast hours on FM105 radio station, and cancelled its broadcast on FM93.5 station. The Cambodia Daily quoted Pa Nguon Tieng, the current VOD president, saying that VOD reduced its number of broadcast hours on Beehive FM105 radio station, from 5 hours to 2 hours daily, and VOD has cancelled its broadcast through FM93.5 radio station staring 01 June. Pa Nguon Tieng said that VOD, which receives its funding from USAID, will see its funding dried up by 30 September, and VOD has not yet decided whether it will continue its broadcast or not. Pa Nguon Tieng said that he will contact other foreign aid organizations if USAID will stop VOD’s funding. VOD is a popular radio program because of its forthright broadcast of human rights issues and its coverage of democracy-related topics.