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2009 LICADHO Report: Cambodia’s Media Continue to be Attacked, Threatened and Censored

May 2, 2009

Cambodia's media is often described as one of the freest in the region, especially relative to the likes of Vietnam, Myanmar, Laos or China where the media is all but controlled by the government [1]. But the reality is that Cambodia’s media still exists in a repressive environment where the government controls the majority of the media. Those that it does not control, it is not afraid to attack, threaten or censor.

The 15 months reviewed in the latest LICADHO briefing paper – from January 1, 2008 to March 31, 2009 – saw a number of cases of defamation lawsuits, repeated censorship, attacks, threats and intimidation.

The period review was crucial politically with the national election held in July 2008. The murder two weeks before the vote of opposition-aligned journalist Khim Sambo was a chilling reminder of the risks Cambodian journalists face for doing their job.

“The continued intimidation of the media through physical attacks, threats, charges of defamation and disinformation and murder ensure the lack of an environment free from political pressures for media to cover sensitive and important issues affecting Cambodians,” says Naly Pilorge, Director of LICADHO.

As yet, no one has been arrested for the killing of Khim Sambo, a pattern consistent with the murders of journalists in Cambodia since 1993. In 2008, another journalist fled Cambodia with his family and has since been granted asylum in Norway after receiving death threats for his work for Radio Free Asia (RFA).

Most of the Kingdom’s media outlets are aligned to a political party and most favor the Cambodian People's Party (CPP).  All eight television channels are aligned with the CPP, as are 11 of the main 22 Khmer-language stations, and 13 of the 24 larger Khmer-language newspapers. 

The briefing paper is titled Restrictions on the Freedom of Expression in Cambodia’s Media, and is published in celebration of World Press Freedom Day on May 3, 2009. The briefing paper is an update to LICADHO’s previous report on the subject of media restrictions which was published in May 2008 - Reading Between the Lines: How Politics, Money and Fear Control Cambodia's Media.

The briefing paper and report are available from http://licadho-cambodia.org/reports.php

For more information, contact:

Dr. Kek Galabru, President of LICADHO at 012 802 506

[1] Based on the Press Freedom Index 2008. Cambodia was ranked 126 of out 173, Vietnam 168, Myanmar 170, Laos 164 and China 167.  http://www.rsf.org/article.php3?id_article=29031