RFA Khmer Service is a mess ... CPP mole like Mayarith could be undermining this US-funded radio station

Dear Readers,

The following letter was posted today by Mr. Serey Ratha Sourn on the Camdisc bulletin board. The letter was allegedly sent by Mayarith, a former RFA reporter who resigned to work for Soy Sopheap's pro-CPP newspaper Deum Ampil News (Tamarind tree News). In his letter, Mayarith was complaining about the nomination of Sam Poly as the deputy-director for RFA Khmer Service. Mayarith is concerned that this nomination will lead to more critical reports by RFA against the Hun Sen's regime. If this letter is proved to be authentic, it appears that Mayarith has been working as a CPP mole from within RFA and thus could be undermining the integrity of this US-funded radio station designed "to provide accurate and timely news and information to Asian countries whose governments prohibit access to a free press."

KI-Media team

Click on the letter in Khmer to zoom in

Translated from Khmer by Heng Soy

To: Highly respected Samdach Dek Cho Hun Sen, Prime minister of the Kingdom of Cambodia

I, Mayarith, ask for your highest authorization to report the work at Radio Free Asia (RFA).

The main points related to the RFA work are as follows:

On Friday 26 June 2009, an announcement was made by Mrs. Libby Liu, the administrator for the entire RFA [RFA President], nominating an employee without expertise by the name of Sam Poly (Pseudonym used on radio is Pov Ponlok) as the deputy director for the broadcasting of Radio Free Asia [Khmer Service]. This position was previously occupied by Mr. Sam Borin. Currently, Mr. Sam Borin is only occupying the position of executive director for information, in charge of political affairs and responsible for the RFA’s listeners forum program. This major change allows the opposition group to have more opportunity to use RFA to oppose the government because Mr. Kem Sos, the director of RFA Khmer Service, is not a good leader.

The new nomination brought a surprise to all RFA employees, and some of them are even looking to find ways to leave RFA. Based on my phone conversations with RFA employees both inside and outside the country, I learned that they want to find new positions if work is available. I plan to …. [unreadable sentence]… I am asking Samdach’s advice if there are employees who want to quit. [Unreadable hand written notes, they could be from Hun Sen].

I will return back to the US on Wednesday 01 July 2009, and when I will arrive there, I will turn in my resignation letter from RFA. I plan to return back to Cambodia at the beginning of August. Between July and August, I will prepare a new life for my wife and my two sons (my eldest son is currently studying architecture at university, and the other one is currently studying general education). At this time, I could be facing with some difficulties because I no longer receive my salary from RFA anymore. Nevertheless, I and my wife will seek all available means to organize a comfortable living before my return back to Cambodia by myself. I apologize to Samdach PM because I should not tell you all these issues.

In conclusion, I promise to serve to the nation and I am banking my future on the ideal and virtuous leadership of Samdach and the Chumteav [Bun Rany Hun Xen], [to work] in the information framework with Younger Brother Soy Sopheap until the end and this is my grateful payback to Samdach and the CPP leaders who liberated the country from the Pol Pot regime and who are currently developing the country.

Phnom Penh, 28 June 2009

(Signed) Mayarith

(Countersigned) Soy Sopheap
(Countersigned) [Unreadable, it could be Hun Xen]

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:

• The Media
• Human Rights Organizations
• Journalist Associations

Troubling news for RFA Khmer Service: illegal firing of well known reporters and employees in Phnom Penh

To the RFA reporters and employees who were fired: If you read this message, could you please email us a copy of your petition/protest letter(s)? Please send them to kiletters@gmail.com. Thank you!

(All Photos: DAP news)

RFA reporters strike and burn tires in front of RFA’s office in Phnom Penh to oppose dictatorship

25 September 2009
DAP news
Translated from Khmer by Heng Soy

In the evening of 25 September 2009, a group of well known and senior reporters for Radio Free Asia (Khmer service) in Phnom Penh held a strike by burning tires to oppose the unexplained firing order issued by RFA’s Khmer service director.

The strike was held by well known RFA reporters: Phan Sophat, Huy Vannak, Mrs. Sieng Sophorn, and by Thai Sothea, another well known RFA employee who is the admin director for RFA website. The strike took place at 7PM in front of the RFA office in Phnom Penh. The tire burning-strike took place a few hours after Kem Sos, RFA’s director for Khmer Service, fired Huy Vannak and Thai Sothea.

Huy Vannak is a reporter known for his reports on the Khmer Rouge Tribunal, human rights violations, anti-corruption, land disputes and land-grabbing, human trafficking, and in particular for his interviews conducted under RFA’s program: “RFA’s listeners”. Thai Sothea is the admin director for the RFA website which is known to be well organized and containing information useful to the public.

Including the firing of Huy Vannak and Thai Sothea, the number of RFA employees firing due to [alleged] grudge and revenge has increased to 3. Mrs. Sieng Sophorn was fired earlier on Thursday also. The firing of Huy Vannak and Thai Sothea took place after the pair opposed the firing of Mrs. Sieng Sophorn, the pair considered her firing as being illegal and that it was done due to clan revenge purpose.

Chea Mony, President of the Free Trade Union of Workers in the Kingdom of Cambodia (FTUWKC), called these unexplained firing of RFA’s employees as being illegal. He indicated that the labor law stipulates that employees who have been employed for more than two years can be fired only if they commit mistakes, otherwise, the firing for no apparent reason is a violation of the labor law. All three RFA employees who were fired have worked for RFA for more than two years.

Chea Mony said that he will bring this case to the attention of the ministry of Labor and he will also send a letter to the US embassy, as well as the RFA administration to inform them about this issue.

Huy Vannak called this firing an action that lacks thoughtfulness, as well as illegal: “This is a wrong action, and I must protest back.” Thai Sothea said that his firing was “illegal.”

Kem Sos, director of RFA’s Khmer service, told reporters earlier that he will not comment on this issue and he asked reporters to send their questions to US officials in Washington DC instead.

After the tire burning-strike, the fired reporters handed a protest petition to the US embassy and they threatened to continue their protest as long as there is no proper legal resolution to their cases.

The RFA employees above were fired by the administration at 6:50PM on 25 September, they then burnt tire to show their protest against these firings. The protest took place in front of RFA’s office located behind the royal palace in Phnom Penh.

RFA fired two additional employees after the pair opposed the firing of RFA reporter Sieng Sophorn. Huy Vannak and Thai Sothea were called in by Kem Sos on 25 September and the latter informed them that RFA administration is conducting its internal structural reform, therefore, RFA decided to end its agreement with the pair and that no protest is allowed in this case.