http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g-Ci57Oy5Eg
Showing posts with label Censorship. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Censorship. Show all posts
Friday, August 24, 2012
Wednesday, July 25, 2012
Censorship of KI-Media, Khmerization and Sacrava by the Phnom Penh dictatorial regime
News Blogs, especially KI-Media, are also well known among Cambodian internet users, and are effective platforms to spread information that is generally not disseminated through government controlled or aligned media outlets.
News Blogs gather national and international press articles, radio features, video clips, statements from NGOs and government agencies, and publish the information on one website. They are an important source for people to find up-to-date news, but the blogs rarely generate their own news articles. The blogs provide a critical survey of developments in Cambodia, while giving readers the ability to comment and discuss the posts.
There are a number of News Blogs that gather news on Cambodia, and translate articles from the Khmer language press into English. However, many are very critical of the government, and recently, News Blogs have been the target of government censorship (see Chapter 5). The most well-known News Blog in Cambodia is KI-Media, which originally started as an email list and then evolved into a blog in 2005. The authors are “dedicated to publishing sensitive information about Cambodia” and are heavily critical of the RGC and ruling CPP. The range of articles and their presentation is biased at times, particularly in support of the opposition Sam Rainsy Party (“SRP”), and the website has been criticized by other Cambodian journalists. It has also been accused of offering space for comments which are “un-civil statements, full of personal attacks, using horrendous profanity, combined with ethnic and racial slurs.” Readers seem to take little offence at the style however; with the KI-Media being one of the most visited websites in the country.
In addition, it is encouraging that, despite efforts by the government to frustrate New Blogs like KI-media and Khmerization (see Chapter 5), more and more News Blogs seem to be coming into existence as the internet is becoming more widespread in Cambodia. For example, Sahrika – which is the Khmer name for the talking Myna Bird – provides an overview of media coverage of land and housing rights issues in Cambodia.
5.2 Prosecutions for use of New Media
Given the RGC’s track record for punishing expressions of opinion through traditional media it is likely that, at some point, the RGC will seek to prosecute individuals for expressing views online. It remains unclear under which provisions of which laws such prosecutions would likely be filed. Under the Penal Code, the offense of disinformation has been removed and it is expressly stated that defamation involving the “media” should be dealt with under the civil provisions under the Press Law. However, as the Press Law only regulates print media, and applies to neither broadcast nor online journalism, there is confusion as to whether “new media” falls under the scope of the Press Law.
Tuesday, July 03, 2012
Watching How China Censors
As Officials Crack Down on Web Chatter, New Technology Finds Out Why
July 2, 2012
By PAUL MOZUR
The Wall Street Journal
China's government isn't the only one paying close attention to what the country's citizens are saying on social media sites.
As China's 500 million Internet users rapidly adopt social media, academics and entrepreneurs are figuring out ways to track online messages and blog posts to better understand what the government censors—and even how to predict its intent.
China's government employs software and an army of thousands to police the Internet, but it leaves much of the censoring to social-media sites like Sina Corp. to take down posts that violate local and national rules issued each week. While it is generally known that certain words or phrases, such as the Tiananmen Square massacre, will trip the censors, the scope isn't fully understood.
These sites usually offer clues that they deleted a post due to censorship—rather than by the user or due to a technical problem—leaving special messages or images such as an Internet police cartoon character. That is helping researchers figure out how China's opaque power structures work to control its citizens.
"We have a degree of translucence now about censorship we never had," said David Bandurski, a researcher at Hong Kong University's China Media Project.
Hong Kong University developed software called WeiboScope, which scans posts from Sina Corp.'s Weibo, a popular Twitter-like Web messaging service. The software was designed to understand how Chinese respond to different news events, but it is also useful for analyzing censorship trends, said King Wa Fu, a research assistant professor at HKU, who helped develop WeiboScope.
Tuesday, June 19, 2012
Google Sees Surge In Censorship Demands [Big BrotherS are watching you!!!]
Silencing speech isn't just for dictators; democracies are trying it also. U.S. authorities, for example, asked Google to remove information 6,192 times in the second half of 2011.
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| Ask this dictator, he went blind from imposing censorship! |
June 18, 2012
By Thomas Claburn
InformationWeek
According to Google, for the period ending 12/31/2009, Cambodia also made less than 10 requests to Google to remove information online. None of these requests were accepted by Google. Click here to see Google's raw data (spreadsheet).
Google warns that government attempts to remove online information are increasing and that some of the governments making censorship requests are Western democracies.
U.S. authorities, for example, made 6,192 requests seeking the removal of information from Google during the second half of 2011, the company said in a report published Sunday. In the first half of 2011, the U.S. government made 757 such requests.
In the U.K., authorities made 847 information removal requests during the second half of 2011, up from 333 during the first half of that year.
Google began documenting government data requests in September 2010, when it first published its Transparency Report. Prior to that, the company published data about service accessibility in China, but not elsewhere.
Wednesday, June 13, 2012
Monday, June 04, 2012
Radio daze: Stations put kibosh on poll news
Monday, 04 June 2012
Shane Worrell
The Phnom Penh Post
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.
Wednesday, May 30, 2012
At Harvard, Room To Write Uncensored
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| Kho Tararith, a Cambodian fellow with the Harvard Scholars at Risk program, says Cambodian writers and researchers still face strong censorship. (Photo: VOA Khmer) |
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eGgqQfrrZ6Y
Tuesday, 29 May 2012
Sophat Soeung, VOA Khmer | Massachusetts
“[In the US] we can write about anything. They even give us money to write. They say, ‘All you need is to submit a proposal,’ and they never bar us from any topics.”
Although violence against writers and academics in Cambodia has decreased in recent years, many say they still face strong censorship. A literary program at Harvard University, in Massachusetts, provides a place for writers from countries like Cambodia to work uncensored.
Harvard’s Scholars at Risk program put on the “Living Magazine” in April, where written works were performed for an audience, and where writers like Keo Chanbo, who is originally from Battambang, told their stories.
“I had to flee the country for my life, but I can’t stop writing,” Keo Chanbo, who now lives in Minnesota, told the audience of about 100 students, professors and local Cambodian-Americans. She wept as she spoke. “Writing is my life.”
Friday, May 25, 2012
Wednesday, April 25, 2012
Government wants callers’ ID [-Big Brother is watching you!]
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| Guess whose phone this is? |
Wednesday, 25 April 2012
Khouth Sophak Chakrya
The Phnom Penh Post
Interior Minister Sar Kheng and Telecommunications Minister So Khun had issued an inter-ministerial directive that requires telecom service providers to turn over the identity information of their subscribers and users to the Interior Ministry in a bid to aid crime-fighting, Interior Ministry officials said yesterday.
Chhay Sinareth, head of the security department at the ministry, announced the directive, which has equivalent force in law to a prakas, at a national police commission meet.
“The police have made victorious crackdowns in over 2,850 cases of kidnapping and life-threatening crimes in 2011 by using evidence from telecommunications systems including mobile phones and the internet,” he said.
“The number of crimes was remarkably reduced under the good collaboration between the expert ministries and mobile networks and internet companies in searching for, and timely crackdowns on, the criminals.”
At Harvard, a Discussion on Cambodian Censorship
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| Kho Tararith, a writer. (Photo: by Im Sothearith) |
Tuesday, 24 April 2012
Men Kimseng, VOA Khmer | Washington, DC
“I mostly write for change.”
Cambodian authors in the US meet at Harvard University today to discuss censorship and other issues facing Cambodia.
“We want to tell writers, journalists, and publishers in Cambodia that even though we are living overseas, we never stay quiet,” said Kho Tararith, writer and an organizer of the event. “We always think of those inside the country and we have been working together to improve this area. We won’t leave you in the cold.”
He and others will take part in a “Living Magazine” performance, where written works are acted out for an audience, on Tuesday night. The performance is part of the Visiting Writers Series at the university.
Monday, April 02, 2012
Push for censorship to shut down ACSC/APF workshops
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| Protesters at Boeung Kak lake make their case to civil society groups on Saturday. Photo by Meng Kimlong |
Thais will sit out NGO meet
Monday, 02 April 2012
Shane Worrell and Khouth Sophak Chakrya
The Phnom Penh Post
Civil society groups from Thailand will boycott a meeting between NGOs and regional government representatives at this week’s ASEAN summit because their country’s delegate “does not represent Thai civil society”, a spokeswoman said yesterday.
Premrudee Daoroung, a representative of Thai civil society groups, said her country’s government had shown “complete disregard for meaningful engagement” by selecting a representative who had played no part in the independent Civil Society Conference/ASEAN Peoples’ Forum, which ran from Thursday to Saturday at the capital’s Lucky Star Hotel.
“In past years ... civil society groups have faced similar problems of having our own government appoint their own people to meet with the leaders of the countries. The same thing has happened again – the government has appointed its own people to [meet] with the [ASEAN] leaders,” she said.
“We condemn this undemocratic process, and we demand that the government of Thailand stop such interfering.”
A Thai government representative did not respond to questions before deadline.
Push for censorship
Meanwhile, civil society and human rights groups yesterday condemned a Friday decision to shut down workshops on topics including land eviction and Myanmar at the independent people’s forum.
ACSC/APF steering committee member Thida Khus said the government had asked her committee to censor information before the forum, which attracted more than 1,000 people.
Saturday, September 10, 2011
Journalists Fear Media Environment of Self-Censorship
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| Mean Chhean Narith, director of the Cambodia Institute for Media Studies, on “Hello VOA” Thursday. (Photo: by Heng Reaksmey) |
Friday, 09 September 2011
Men Kimseng, VOA Khmer | Washington, DC
“Whatever the threats against me, as a journalist, I have a responsibility to bring the truth to the public.”
Journalists in Cambodia are currently facing problems of self-censorship, lawsuits and a competitive market, media experts said Thursday, but they said news organizations must continue to hold to principles of professional and a duty to the public.
The trend in oppression of Cambodian journalists have shifted from street attacks, threats of violence and murder to one of punitive legal measures by powerful interests, Mean Chhean Narith, director of the Cambodia Institute for Media Studies, told “Hello VOA.”
In recent years, journalists have had to face a number of lawsuits or jail terms, especially under a criminalized defamation law.
This has created an environment where journalists self censor by avoiding issues like corruption and human rights abuses, he said. The best counter measure, he said, is accurate reporting in the public’s interest.
Wednesday, August 17, 2011
Cambodian newspapers shut down [... Hun Xen's censorship at work]
Tuesday, August 16, 2011
Greenslade Blog
The Guardian (UK)
Greenslade Blog
The Guardian (UK)
Two newspapers critical of the Cambodian ruling party - The Water & Fire News and The World News - have been shut down permanently by the government.
Their publishing licences were revoked on 3 August because of 'a perceived insult to the ministry of information."
Five men have also been convicted of "provocation" for distributing pamphlets critical of the state. They revealed the Cambodian government's ties to the Vietnamese government and accused prime minister Hun Sen of selling land to foreign countries, calling him a "traitor" and a "puppet of Vietnam."
Sunday, March 06, 2011
Internet Freedom Under Threat
March 6, 2011
By Mong Palatino
The Diplomat Blogs
By Mong Palatino
The Diplomat Blogs
Internet freedom is under attack in many countries in Southeast Asia. In Thailand, for example, a webmaster is facing prosecution for comments written by other people in an online forum. In Cambodia, anti-government websites have been inaccessible on numerous occasions since January. In Malaysia, meanwhile, a proposed new law would empower the government to censor Internet content.
Chiranuch Premchaiporn (known to friends as Jiew) is the editor of independent news website Prachatai.com. Jiew is accused of violating the Computer Crimes Act of Thailand, but her situation is somewhat bizarre because her alleged ‘criminal’ act refers only to her failure to moderate ten lese majeste comments that were posted on Prachatai’s public web board. She had already deleted the comments when she received a notice from the government, but this didn’t stop the authorities from arresting her last year. Jiew is facing 50 years in prison if found guilty.
Thailand has strict lese majeste laws and it is aggressive in blocking websites which are deemed insulting to the monarchy. Censorship intensified last year, especially at the height of the anti-government Red Shirt protests. It's estimated that more than 400,000 web pages are blocked in Thailand.
Meanwhile, Cambodian netizens have been having a difficult time accessing anti-government websites since January. But if the Thai government is admitting that it's blocking ‘harmful’ sites, Cambodian authorities have continued to deny ordering Internet Service Providers (ISPs) to ban opposition websites.
When major blogging portal Blogspot was banned in Cambodia last January, it generated significant protests from Internet users. Fortunately, access to the website was immediately restored. Service providers blamed it on technical issues, while the government insisted it was ignorant about the reasons behind the incident.
But the issue of web censorship in Cambodia continued to sizzle last month as media groups leaked a letter by government information authorities asking ISPs to censor websites that allegedly harm Cambodian morality and tradition. The letter specifically mentioned the KI-Media, Khmerization and Sacrava websites, all of which are critical of the government.
Tuesday, March 01, 2011
On again, off again, on again... WHO CARES about the dictator's toying?
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| Paul Blanche-Horgan: A CEO who has NO IDEA, NADA, ZILCH, ZERO! |
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| The CPP Daily News: A site blocked in Cambodia - BRAVO, No more DISINFORMATION!!! |
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| So Khun: The Master-CENSOR |
Blocked sites back up
Monday, 28 February 2011
Thomas Miller
The Phnom Penh Post
Access to several anti-government websites, which had been blocked in recent weeks, has been inexplicably restored for users of two internet service providers, while at least two other ISPs continue blocking the sites, customers reported to The Post today.
Internet users said they were able to access KI-Media through ISPs WiCam and Ezecom, but not through Online or Metfone.
The Post has confirmed that MekongNet has not blocked access, contrary to local media reports.
People using the internet through Metfone could not access the entire blogspot.com domain name, leaving them unable to view not only KI-Media and other anti-government sites, but also any blog maintained on the Google-provided service, such as those by the ruling Cambodian People’s Party, local businesses or job-search sites.
Paul Blanche-Horgan, CEO of Ezecom, had previously said the blockage was a technical issue, but declined to comment.
“I have no idea, mate,” he said.
Monday, February 28, 2011
Cambodia: Who Ordered the Blocking of Opposition Websites?
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| Cartoon by Sacrava |
Written by Mong Palatino
Global Voices Online
Last month, an anti-government website was blocked by some Internet Service Providers (ISPs) in Cambodia. The ISPs later denied that it received an order from the government to ban the critical website. The government also insisted that it is not a policy to block the website of opposition groups. Fortunately, access to the website was restored immediately.
But the issue of web censorship in Cambodia continued to sizzle this month as media groups leaked a letter by government information authorities asking ISPs to censor websites that allegedly harm Cambodian morality and tradition.
Sieng Sithy, deputy director of the Directorate of Telecommunications Policy Regulation at the MPTC, wrote an email to Ezecom, Metfone, Citylink, Digi, AngkorNet, WiCam, TC, Camnet, Online and Camintel thanking them for “cooperation” in blocking access to several websites, including KI-Media, Khmerization and a site featuring the art of political cartoonist Sacrava.
The government gave conflicting statements on the veracity of the letter. The Ministry continues to assert that web censorship is not being pursued by the government. Here are some parts of the controversial letter:
Thursday, February 24, 2011
Cambodia orders popular blog blocked
Bangkok, February 23, 2011--The Committee to Protect Journalists is concerned by reports that Cambodian authorities have ordered local Internet service providers to block a number of websites, including the popular KI Media news aggregator and commentary blog, considered critical of the government.
Voice of America's Khmer-language service reported on February 17 that it had been forwarded e-mail correspondence from a senior official in Cambodia's Ministry of Post and Telecommunications (MPT) telling local ISPs--WiCam, Telesurf, and Hello--to censor websites that contained anti-government content.
The German Press Agency DPA reported that "several" websites critical of the government had gone offline in recent weeks, and that at least one local ISP carried a message that KI Media had been blocked "as ordered by the Ministry of Post and Telecommunications of Cambodia." On February 17, the English-language daily Phnom Penh Post published minutes of a February 10 government meeting that quoted MPT Minister So Khun ordering mobile phone operators to block access to certain websites that were adversely affecting the country's "morality and tradition." The Post reported that So Khun denied that the government ordered ISPs to block any websites.
"We are troubled by reports that Cambodia is increasingly curbing online freedom," said Shawn Crispin, CPJ's Senior Southeast Asia Representative. "We urge Prime Minister Hun Sen's government to immediately reverse course. The Internet is one of the few spaces left for free expression in Cambodia and that is how it should remain."
Wednesday, February 23, 2011
Cambodia accused of net censorship
ABC Radio Australia
A human rights group has accused the Cambodian government of suggesting internet service providers should block access to anti-government websites. Cambodia's government and the ISPs have denied the reports, but the leaked minutes from a meeting with the minister of post and telecommunications appear to tell another story. According to the Phnom Penh Post newspaper, which obtained the minutes, the minister has asked ten service providers to help block several internet sites.
Reporter: Robert Carmichael in Phnom Penh
Speaker: Mathieu Pellerin, consultant, LICADHO (rights group)
Friday, February 18, 2011
Cambodia Denies Ordering Websites Blocked
Robert Carmichael, Voice of America
Phnom Penh February 18, 2011
Phnom Penh February 18, 2011
For the past few weeks, several websites critical of the Cambodian government have been unavailable through a number of Internet service providers, or ISPs. Although the government has denied ordering the sites censored, a leaked memo indicates it indeed ordered access cut.
The Phnom Penh Post newspaper this week published extracts from leaked minutes of a meeting at which the minister for post and telecommunications asked Internet service providers to block access to critical sites.
The Post also ran extracts from an e-mail sent by a senior ministry official congratulating 10 ISPs for helping to block the websites, and admonishing three others for not doing so.
Human rights group LICADHO, which issues an annual report assessing Cambodia’s media, objects to the web censorship.
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