(CPJ/IFEX) – In an 18 July 2000 letter to Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen, CPJ expressed its concern about the Information Ministry’s decision to once again suspend publication of the “Cambodia News Bulletin” (Pritbat Pordamean Kampuchea), a bilingual fortnightly published in English and Khmer from the capital city, Phnom Penh. On 13 July, the Information […]
(CPJ/IFEX) – In an 18 July 2000 letter to Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen, CPJ expressed its concern about the Information Ministry’s decision to once again suspend publication of the “Cambodia News Bulletin” (Pritbat Pordamean Kampuchea), a bilingual fortnightly published in English and Khmer from the capital city, Phnom Penh.
On 13 July, the Information Ministry issued three separate letters ordering the paper’s suspension, according to a statement released by the “Bulletin”. The first, addressed to the “Bulletin”‘s editor, Khieu Phirum, announced that the paper was suspended for thirty days because of the 10 July publication of an article on royal succession in Cambodia. According to the Information Ministry’s directive, the story, “The Search for One Who Would Be King,” allegedly breached Chapter II, Article 7, of Cambodia’s constitution, which states that “The King shall be inviolable.”
The piece originally appeared on 1 July in the “South China Morning Post” and was translated from English into Khmer by the “Bulletin”.
The Information Ministry’s letter to Khieu Phirum also accused the “Bulletin” of violating Article 12 of Cambodia’s Press Law — which forbids the publication of “any information which may affect national security and political stability” — and cited the paper for not adhering to the technical publication requirements outlined in Article 9 of the Press Law.
In addition, the Information Ministry sent a letter addressed to the Interior Ministry, ordering the immediate seizure of all copies of the “Cambodia News Bulletin”. Finally, a third letter was addressed to the paper’s printing press and called for a ban on the paper’s production.
Recommended Action
Send appeals to the prime minister:
– objecting to his government’s censorship of the “Cambodia News Bulletin”
– noting that if a publication is suspected of violating the law, proper recourse may be sought through Cambodia’s judicial system
– expressing the belief that the suspension of a publication is a serious matter — and that such a decision should be weighed in a court of law, not made by executive fiat
– urging His Excellency to ensure that the suspension order is lifted immediately
Appeals To
APPEALS TO:His Excellency Samdech Hun Sen
Prime Minister, Kingdom of Cambodia
Office of the Prime Minister
Phnom Penh, Cambodia
Fax: +855 23 725 432Please copy appeals to the source if possible.
