Cambodia’s Government Has Increasingly Been Accused of Targeting Local and Foreign Journalists Reporting On Sensitive Issues, Raising the Question of Whether Reporting In The Southast Asian Country Is Becoming Riskier than.
In among one of the most current occurrences, UK Journalist Gerald Flynn was Denied Reentry Into Cambodia at Siem Reap International Airport Last Month Following A Short Vacation in Neighboring Thailand.
Flynn Said Cambodian Immigration Officials Informed Him That His Visa was phony which he what “Permanently Banned” from go back to cambodia. Hey required to board a trip back to thailand.
Flynn, A Staff Writer at Monabay, A United States-Based Conservation News Website, Had Recently Contributed to A Documentary From A French Media Outlet About Cambodia’s Environmental Challenges-Findings That The Cambodian Government Labeled As “fake news
The Dangers of Reporting in Cambodia
Nathan Paul Southern, A Journalist and Operations Director at the Eyewitness Project, Investigative Journalism Organization, Has Reported Regularly in Cambodia inRecent Years He Warn’s Any Reporting that shames the state threatens.
“Inside Cambodia, Pretty Much Everyone is self-censoring, quitting the profession or running away. Reporting on Environmental Issues is Especialy Dangerous, but covering other crises that embarrass the government [is] Getting People Killed Or Arrested, Too, “He Told Dw
In December, Cambodian Environmental reporter Chhoeung Chheng was fired while exploring unlawful logging in theSiem Reap Province He Later Died from his injuries. Authorities Claimed They had actually captured the shooter and the case was an individual disagreement.
Chhoeung’s Death Echoes A Similar Case From A Decade Earlier When Journalist Tiann Try Was Shot and Killed While Investigating Illegal Logging in Cambodia.
Cambodian authorities have so be a charged of punishing ecological Activists’ Advocacy with Lyinghy Prison Sentences.
In July 2024, 10 participants of the Activist Group Mother Nature Were Senteced to Betee Six and Eight Years in Prison for Conspiring Against The Cambodian State.
They had Been Investigating Waste Pollution in Phnom Penh’s Tonle Sap River and Had Long Campaigned Against Environmental Destruction Throughout Cambodia, declaring entrusted to corruption.
“The Cambodian Government Has Become Increasingly Aggressive Towards Any Form of Criticism, However Mild, and For many people this leads to life-Threating Or Life-Alding Outcomes, Whether they are Brave and Committed Journalists Like Ordinary People Posting Concerns on Facebook , “Southern Said
“Cambodian journalist, Activists and Ngo Workers Who Can’t Choose to Leave the Country Are Bravely Taking The Biggest Risks and Getting The Least Amount of International Support and Attention.”
Imprisoning reporters
In November, Mech Dara, A Well-Known Cambodian Journalist, Announced He was giving up the occupation Two Months After Being Arrested and Convicted for Incitement Following The Publication of Reports Exposing Online Scams andCorruption Dara Spent Over 30 Days in Pre-Trial Detention and Still Faces Up To Two Years in Prison for the Alleged Off.
His costs are Similar to Those of Cambodian Journalist Sok Oudom, Who was Sentened to 20 Months in Prison for Broadcasting False News With Intent to Cause Incitement in 2020.
Since 2017, Several Cambodian Outlets Have Had Their Media Licenses Revoked, consisting of the Voice of Democracy (VoD), among cambodia’s last independent media electrical outlets.
AS A Result, More Cambodians are Turning to Social Media forNews However, also publishing on social media sites can be high-risk for reporters.
In 2021, Khou Piseth was billed with incitement for slamming workplace on facebook overcovid-19 actions, according to report. The exact same year, Youn Chhiv, Who Ran the Koh Kong Hot News Website, what Senteced to a Year In Prison after he “Posted Comment to Cause Confusion” on Facebook, Said Vey PHe arom, Deputy Prosecutor at the Provincial Court in Koh Kong.
‘Attack on Journalism’
The Cambodian Journalist Alliance (Camboja), A Politically Neutral, Membership-Based Association of Journalists, Has Recorded at Lease 14 Cases of Reporters Being Legally or Physical Aally Targeted Between and September 2024.
NOP VY, Camboja’s Executive Director, Said the Cambodian Government is Becoming Intolant of Investigative Journalism.
“WE [have] Found that [Cambodia’s] Criminal Code Has Been [used] Against Journalist Rather Than [the] Civil code or press law, which is creating [a] Scarring Environment for the Press, “He Told DW by means of e-mail.
“The Cambodian Government’s Decision to Deny British Journalist Gerald Flynn Reentry to Cambodia and Ban from the Country is a blatant attack on journalism and Serves as Yet Another Example of the Cambodian Authorities’ Intolency of Critical and Investigative Journalism.”
In action to issues regarding press flexibility, Cambodia’s Ministry of Information has actually stressed Its Commitment to Protecting Journalists and Ensuring A Free Press.
In a declaration on the state of the media in Cambodia in 2024 Reported by The Phnom Penh Post A Ministry Spokesman Pledged to Continue Creating A Safe Working Environment for Journalists in Cambodia, Supporting Their Professional Development, and Upholding Press Freedom.
“We all journalists to work with Honesty, Integrity and Impartiality, Maintance and Discipline While Upholding Public Interest, Adhering to Ethical Standards and Respecting Journalistic Principles and Quality of the Sustainability of the Media Sector ” the statement
A Powerful Ruling ‘Dynasty’
The Cambodian People’s Party (CPP) Has Ruled the Country Since 1979.
Many doubters Call Cambodia’s Leaders the “Hun Dynasty.” Former Prime Minister Hun Sen Led Cambodia for Nearly Four Decades Before Handing Power to his Son, Current Prime Minister Hun Manet, in 2023.
Under Their Rule, The Government Has Tighttened Its Grip on Power – Banning Political Opponents, Targeting Independent Media Outlets, and Cracking Down On Critics and Dissidents at Home and Overseas.
Aleksandra Beilakowska, Advocacy Manager for Reporters Without Borders (RSF), that that Cambodia is subduing independent media to regulate Public Opinion and Further Consolidate Its Power.
“By repressing reporters, The Cambodian Government is sending a chilling message and threatens that who is still trying to hold in power Accountable,” She Said
Cambodia Sits at 151st Place in the Latest RSF World Press Freedom Index Rankings Out of 180 Countries and Territories, Having Fallen Nine Places in thePast Two Years
Edited by: Keith Walker
