Hotly contested elections in July, marred by charges of fraud, led to
months of political stalemate. But in November, Prime Minister Hun Sen formed
a coalition government that allowed him to consolidate the power he seized
in a 1997 coup. And Hun Sen's Cambodian People's Party (CPP) has come to
dominate the Khmer-language media. All six national television stations are
controlled by the CPP, and 11 pro-Hun Sen radio stations are closely regulated.
The sole independent radio station, Sambok Khmum, was closed by the government
in September after it broadcast coverage of opposition rallies protesting
election irregularities. In January, already tough press regulations were
stiffened by decree allowing the government to indefinitely suspend publications
on a variety of national security grounds.
The climate for the media in Phnom Penh has worsened; many journalists believe
that government surveillance of the press, including wiretapping, is now
routine. In October, the pro-Hun Sen Khmer- language newspaper Rasmei
Kampuchea (Light of Cambodia) cited government spokesman Khieu Kanharith
saying that the government planned to shut down Cambodia's two de facto
newspapers of record -- The Cambodia Daily and
weekly Phnom Penh Post -- for "serious professional mistakes"
in their coverage. These rival English-language papers, owned by U.S. investors,
were established in the early 1990s when the United Nations was overseeing
attempts to normalize and democratize Cambodia. The threat was publicly rescinded
following strong protests by CPJ and the American embassy in Phnom Penh. |
| Attacks on the Press in
Cambodia in 1998 |
| Date |
Journalist |
Incident |
| 10/04/98 |
Cambodia
Daily |
Threatened |
| 10/04/98 |
Phnom
Penh Post |
Threatened |
| 10/04/98 |
Joe
Cochrane, Deutch Press Agentur |
Threatened |
| 10/04/98 |
All
Journalists |
Threatened |
| 06/08/98 |
Thong
Uy Pang, Koh Santepheap (Island of Peace) |
Attacked |
| 01/11/98 |
Nou
Kim Y, Nokor Khmer |
Attacked |
| 01/09/98 |
All
media |
Threatened, Legal Action, Censored |
| 01/08/98 |
Kumnit
Koan Khmer (Thought of Khmer Children) |
Legal Action, Censored |
| 01/08/98 |
Andarakum
(Intervention) |
Legal Action, Censored |
| 01/08/98 |
Neak
Torsou (Combatant) |
Legal Action, Censored |
| 01/08/98 |
Kolbot
Angkor (People of Angkor) |
Legal Action, Censored |
| 01/08/98 |
Samleng
Samapheap (Voice of Equality) |
Legal Action, Censored |
| 01/08/98 |
Proyuth
(The Fighter) |
Legal Action, Censored |
|
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Attacks on the Press in 1998
|
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