Cover of the banned Free Press Magazine (Photo: Sralanh Khmer Newspaper)
Artist Sacrava's cartoon deemed too critical of the regime and the former monarch (Cartoon by Sacrava)Magazine critical of Cambodian leaders confiscated
02 November 2007
By Mayarith
Radio Free Asia
Translated from Khmer by Heng Soy
The authority has confiscated all copies of the Free Press Magazine (FPM) which included articles and cartoon that are very critical of the former monarch and the current prime minister.
The FPM whose distribution was denied by the authority, is a brand new magazine which just published its first number in November 2007.
Suon Serey Ratha, the manager of FPM, declared from Revere, Massachusetts, USA, that he is condemning the authority for not allowing the distribution of his magazine.
FPM, which is put on sale for the first time in newspapers kiosks in Phnom Penh, and which was confiscated by the authority yesterday, contains several articles and pictures which are deemed scornful towards the former monarch Norodom Sihanouk and prime minister Hun Sen.
Nouv Sovathero, secretary of state at the Ministry of Information, indicated that the content of the articles indeed affects some people.
Nouv Sovathero said: “I saw the magazine also, they brought it to distribute, I observe that, even though there is freedom of expression in the publication, sometimes this freedom could touch upon a number of institutions. Therefore, what measure the ministry of information will take, I don’t know yet. I am certain that the ministry won’t ignore it, and any measures taken will depend on H.E. the minister’s (Khieu Kanharith) meeting and thought.”
FPM is published by an overseas organization which usually criticizes former monarch Norodom Sihanouk and prime minister Hun Sen.
FPM is published by the Cambodian Action Committee for Justice and Equity (CACJE) which is based in Revere, Massachusetts, USA. Recently, CACJE issued a letter accusing the involvement by King Norodom Sihanouk which led to the killings perpetrated under the KR regime.
The outside cover of the banned magazine shows a cartoon displaying Hun Sen pointing at a KR Tribunal representative, while threatening this representative that if he dares touch the former monarch, he will be kicked out of Cambodia immediately.
Suon Serey Ratha said from Revere that he thinks the content of the articles in his magazine does not touch the law.
Suon Serey Ratha said: “I am saying that it (magazine) does not touch any article in the constitution because this is the freedom of expression, the freedom of the press which are protected by the constitution, and whatever we published in the magazine are information, and none of the information published was invented by us, we did not make them up. These are information which existed from long ago.”
The authority has not yet leveled any official charge against the magazine as of Friday morning, even though all FPM copies have been confiscated, and FPM was prevented from being published.
The FPM whose distribution was denied by the authority, is a brand new magazine which just published its first number in November 2007.
Suon Serey Ratha, the manager of FPM, declared from Revere, Massachusetts, USA, that he is condemning the authority for not allowing the distribution of his magazine.
FPM, which is put on sale for the first time in newspapers kiosks in Phnom Penh, and which was confiscated by the authority yesterday, contains several articles and pictures which are deemed scornful towards the former monarch Norodom Sihanouk and prime minister Hun Sen.
Nouv Sovathero, secretary of state at the Ministry of Information, indicated that the content of the articles indeed affects some people.
Nouv Sovathero said: “I saw the magazine also, they brought it to distribute, I observe that, even though there is freedom of expression in the publication, sometimes this freedom could touch upon a number of institutions. Therefore, what measure the ministry of information will take, I don’t know yet. I am certain that the ministry won’t ignore it, and any measures taken will depend on H.E. the minister’s (Khieu Kanharith) meeting and thought.”
FPM is published by an overseas organization which usually criticizes former monarch Norodom Sihanouk and prime minister Hun Sen.
FPM is published by the Cambodian Action Committee for Justice and Equity (CACJE) which is based in Revere, Massachusetts, USA. Recently, CACJE issued a letter accusing the involvement by King Norodom Sihanouk which led to the killings perpetrated under the KR regime.
The outside cover of the banned magazine shows a cartoon displaying Hun Sen pointing at a KR Tribunal representative, while threatening this representative that if he dares touch the former monarch, he will be kicked out of Cambodia immediately.
Suon Serey Ratha said from Revere that he thinks the content of the articles in his magazine does not touch the law.
Suon Serey Ratha said: “I am saying that it (magazine) does not touch any article in the constitution because this is the freedom of expression, the freedom of the press which are protected by the constitution, and whatever we published in the magazine are information, and none of the information published was invented by us, we did not make them up. These are information which existed from long ago.”
The authority has not yet leveled any official charge against the magazine as of Friday morning, even though all FPM copies have been confiscated, and FPM was prevented from being published.
5 comments:
Sralang Khmer got banned, and that what the complaint was? hahaha, LOL, hahaha... ROFLMAO.
Good for you FPM, another brave entity, and I wish too more! Thanks.
They are still communists. They don't want to hear the truth. They are political gangsters in the government.
Yes, we don't want any Sralang Khmer's truth, and keep it out of Khmer Holly ground, will ya?
Animal Viet troller @9:36 AM pretending to be khmer speaking for Khmer must leave KI-Media now. Go home. We know who you are. We know how you write.
Quit littering, spamming, loitering.
Go home Viet troller!
Go home Vietcong!
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