(SEAPA/IFEX) – A popular television station in Cambodia was forced to pull out a current affairs programme after Prime Minister Hun Sen accused the station concerned, Cambodian Television Network (CTN), of damaging the nation’s reputation by airing the show. The morning programme, called “Cambodia Today”, provides in-depth analyses on various issues affecting the lives of […]
(SEAPA/IFEX) – A popular television station in Cambodia was forced to pull out a current affairs programme after Prime Minister Hun Sen accused the station concerned, Cambodian Television Network (CTN), of damaging the nation’s reputation by airing the show.
The morning programme, called “Cambodia Today”, provides in-depth analyses on various issues affecting the lives of Cambodians. The day before the prime minister’s warning on 2 August 2006, it featured an outspoken economist who spoke on government scandals and corruption in taxation.
The television station has rapidly gained popularity for its comprehensive coverage of events, including political and sensitive issues that other local television stations have dared not cover.
It recently broadcast live the confiscation of the property of Heng Pov, a disgraced former municipal police chief and adviser to the prime minister. Heng Pov was served with an arrest warrant from the Municipal Court on 31 July in connection with the attempted murder of a local journalist. He is also wanted for the assassination of a judge and other crimes, and may be hiding in Singapore, according to Channel News Asia.
Cambodia’s independent media advocate, the Cambodian Association for the Protection of Journalists (CAPJ), is concerned over the prime minister’s threat, which it views as an infringement on media freedom. It urges the head of the government to review his statement and to call for the reinstatement of the show.
Despite a relatively free media environment, Cambodian broadcast media is subject to the government’s control. The government has also used litigation threats to stifle print media for its attempts to investigate widespread corruption and favoritism in government.
CTN was launched in 2003 as a joint venture between the local conglomerate The Royal Group of Companies and Stockholm-based Modern Time Group. It is now part of Mobitel, the largest mobile phone operator in Cambodia.
