Khmer Machas Srok is now available online

Click here to read the Khmer Machas Srok Daily

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.

Moneakseka Khmer journalist Khim Sambo shot and killed

Cambodia journalist shot dead - police

PHNOM PENH, July 11 (Reuters) - A Cambodian journalist working for an opposition newspaper was shot dead on Friday by unknown gunmen who fired on the victim and his son, police said.

Khim Sam Bo, 47, was shot twice and his 19-year-old son was seriously wounded in the capital Phnom Penh, as they left a sports stadium, police chief G. Touch Naruth said.

"We do not know the motive for the killing yet. The investigation continues," he told Reuters.

Colleagues said he had written stories criticising senior government officials and corruption in the government of Prime Minister Hun Sen, who is seeking re-election in a July 27 general election.

Khim Sam Bo worked for more than 10 years for the Khmer Conscience newspaper, whose editor Dam Seth was recently accused of defaming Foreign Minister Hor Namhong. The charges were later dropped.

"I am so disappointed. It hurts me to hear that he was killed," Dam Seth told Reuters.

"I call on the authorities to find the killers of Khim Sam Bo and punish them," he said.

(Reporting by Ek Madra; Editing by Darren Schuettler and Bate Felix)

Khmer Machas Srok Daily Newspaper (Khmer Owners of the Land)

Click here to read this daily newspaper in Khmer

Sralanh Khmer stops its publication

Monday, March 17, 2008
Everyday.com.kh
Translated from Khmer by Socheata

The Sralanh Khmer (Love Khmer) newspaper which supports the Sam Rainsy Party stopped its publication since the end of last week, claiming that a phone threat was made against the Angkor printing shop, ordering it to stop printing the Sralanh Khmer newspaper. The Mekong Times reported that the stop of the publication of Sralanh Khmer on Saturday was made because an official from the ministry of information ordered the print shop to stop printing the newspaper. However, the ministry of information rejected this news. Khieu Kanharith, spokesman for the government, said that he did not order the stopping of Sralanh Khmer’s publication. Khieu Kanharith said that this story was made up, and that near the election, people always raised this issue. Some rumors explained that the temporary stop of the Sralanh Khmer was due to the fact that Thach Ket, the newspaper publisher, resigned from the SRP and joined the CPP. On the other hand Thach Ket is currently in Kampuchea Krom, he is expected to return back to Cambodia on Monday. Whether the newspaper will re-open again or not, this issue will not be resolved until Thach Ket is back in Cambodia first.