Index on Censorship » Cambodia

Cambodia: Land rights group suspended

Marta Cooper — Thu, 25 Aug 2011 10:07:17 +0000

The Cambodian government this month suspended land rights group Sahmakum Teang Tnaut (STT), which had been critical of government-backed evictions as a result of a railway rehabilitation project that would link Phnom Penh to Thailand. In another development, a draft law on associations and NGOs is on verge of being passed in the country, which has faced criticism for imposing registration on grassroots movements and community-based organisations.

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Cambodia: Environmental activists detained

Marta Cooper — Tue, 23 Aug 2011 11:12:55 +0000

Police detained over 100 villagers in Phnom Penh last week for distributing environmental fliers used to raise awareness of deforestation and economic land concessions that have been granted inside the Prey Lang forest. Police and local officials confiscated the activists’ leaflets and detained participants in local commune offices for questioning and “re-education.” Police said the distribution of fliers could “disrupt social order.”

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Cambodia: Two critical newspapers shut down

Marta Cooper — Mon, 15 Aug 2011 09:33:59 +0000

Two newspapers critical of the Cambodian ruling party were shut down permanently, while five men were convicted of “provocation” for distributing pamphlets critical of the state last week, according to the Cambodian Centre for Human Rights (CCHR). The pamphlets discussed the Cambodian government’s ties to the Vietnamese government, accusing Prime Minister Hun Sen of selling land to foreign countries and referring to him as a “traitor” and a “puppet of Vietnam.” Newspapers The Water and Fire News and The World News were ordered to stop publishing as of 3 August and had their licenses revoked due to perceived insult to the Ministry of Information.

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Cambodia: Opposition leader sentenced to ten years in prison

Index on Censorship — Mon, 27 Sep 2010 10:55:17 +0000

The leader of the opposition has been sentenced to ten years in prison for comments he made about a border dispute with Vietnam. Sam Rainsy, who is currently living in exile in Paris, was convicted in absentia on 23 September, on charges of spreading disinformation and falsifying maps. He had questioned whether the border had been incorrectly marked by the government in favour of Cambodia, and disseminated a map detailing the accusations. Presiding judge Ke Sakhan said that Rainsy’s acts “seriously affected the honour of the government“. The trial was closed to the public.

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Cambodia: Government ban critical film

Intern — Fri, 11 Jun 2010 13:53:14 +0000

The Cambodian authorities have blocked a new documentary that indicts the government in the assassination of an outspoken trade union leader. Who Killed Chea Vichea? argues that Vichea, who championed better pay and working conditions for local factory workers, could not have been killed without the cooperation of Cambodia’s political elites. Two men, sentenced to 20 years imprisonment for Vichea’s murder, were released in 2004 but remain on bail.

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Cambodian newspaper attacked

Intern — Wed, 21 Apr 2010 13:49:37 +0000

Boay Roeuy, journalist working for Khmer Machas Srok, a Cambodian newspaper with ties to the Sam Rainsy Party, has alleged that he has been receiving death threats from bodyguards working for the Cambodian People’s Party (CPP). Hang Chakra, the editor for Khmer Machas Srok was recently released from prison after serving a 10 month sentence for disinformation. He published a series of articles accusing deputy prime minister An Sok of corruption.

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Cambodian media ‘threatened’ by government

Intern — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 12:27:18 +0000

The Cambodian government has used “threats, intimidation and legal action” to reduce the quantity of independent media reporting in the country, a new report has claimed. According to Reporters Without Borders, the governing Cambodian People’s Party is severely limiting journalists’ ability to report on private sector abuses and corruption. The report also condemns Prime Minister Hun Sen for failing to adhere to a promise made in 2006 that Cambodian journalists would no longer be jailed for their work.

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