In Cambodia, there have been disturbing incidents where government critics on Facebook have been subjected to physical attacks. CamboJA, an independent media outlet, attempted to report on these attacks, only to be met with threats from the Cambodian Ministry of Agriculture, which happens to be one of the critics. The ministry went so far as to threaten the removal of the minister’s name from the news. This alarming story sheds light on the precarious state of independent media in Cambodia, especially considering that another independent outlet, VOD, had its license revoked previously.
On September 30, 2023, the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry, and Fisheries in Cambodia issued legal threats against several independent media websites in the country. The “Federation of Journalists Associations of Cambodia,” known as CamboJA, faced accusations of defaming ministry officials, including the Minister of Agriculture, Dith Tina.
CamboJA had previously reported on the brutal attack against agricultural entrepreneur Ny Nak and his wife, Sok Synet. Ny Nak and his wife were targeted by a group of individuals wearing helmets and armed with batons while near Phnom Penh on September 12. In a September 14 news report, CamboJA mentioned that this attack bore similarities to previous incidents targeting members of Cambodia’s opposition party, the Prey Candle Party, ahead of the July 2023 elections. The attackers, riding motorcycles and wielding batons, appeared to have been on a mission to silence their victims.
Ny Nak, known as a fertilizer producer and fruit tree grower, had previously been imprisoned for criticizing the Cambodian government’s handling of COVID-19 policies. After his release in June, Ny Nak continued to voice his grievances on his Facebook page, specifically targeting government projects, particularly those related to agriculture. With over 400,000 followers, his page attracted significant attention.
Ny Nak’s recent posts took aim at officials from the Ministry of Labor and the Ministry of Agriculture. According to Ny Nak, he rejected an invitation to join Cambodia’s ruling party when a party official visited his home under the pretense of improving the conditions for Cambodian workers and farmers. The official urged him to stop criticizing the government. Following the attack, Ny Nak openly dismissed initial claims from authorities, believing the assault was an attempt on his life due to his outspokenness against the government.
Am Sam Ath, the president of the Cambodia Human Rights Group Lucadho, underscored the government’s use of physical force against opposition members and called for an investigation into Ny Nak’s attack. Unfortunately, no suspects have been apprehended thus far.
In response to the incident, the Cambodian Ministry of Agriculture released a statement on its Facebook page on September 15. In the statement, CamboJA’s allegations were denied, and the media outlet was accused of engaging in “baseless” reporting. Furthermore, the Ministry criticized CamboJA for publishing Ny Nak’s comments, deeming them a “serious breach of media ethics.”
The Ministry of Agriculture escalated the situation by demanding that CamboJA “correct” its news reports and issued legal threats against them. They warned CamboJA against continuing with “malicious intent” and making “defamatory speculations” in the future. The Ministry even threatened CamboJA with a fate similar to VOD, an independent media outlet that had its license seized earlier in the year by Hun Sen’s government.
Feeling the pressure, CamboJA eventually agreed to modify its news content by removing the name of the Minister of Agriculture from its reports and redacting certain individuals’ names. This revision, effective September 19, 2023, retained the name of the ministry’s spokesperson, who provided information about the incident. For example, CamboJA’s amended reports would state that Ny Nak made a “Facebook post criticizing the current Minister of Agriculture” and that the minister “could not be reached for comment at the time.”
This disconcerting incident highlights the perilous landscape for independent media in Cambodia. Reporters Without Borders ranked Cambodia 147 out of 180 countries in its 2023 Press Freedom Index, characterizing the media environment as severely restrictive. Former Prime Minister Hun Sen has long waged war against independent media in Cambodia, intensifying his efforts during the 2018 and 2023 elections. The harassment of political opponents and media entities ultimately led to VOD losing its credentials.
A report from New Naratif on September 25 further underscored the erosion of media freedom in Cambodia, specifically highlighting the confiscation of VOD’s license. Khan Leakhena, a journalist for VOD for over a decade, revealed the hardships faced by the outlet. VOD, known for its inclusive work environment, underwent relentless harassment leading up to its shutdown, including incidents where Leakhena was followed and pursued by a motorbike driver who tried to harm her. Such incidents have led to self-censorship among journalists and limited resources for their work.
Unfortunately, the harassment targeting media outlets did not cease after the elections. Additional examples include the Cambodian government’s order to internet service providers to block critical media before the 2023 elections. Cambodia Daily, Radio Free Asia, and Kamnotra were among the outlets affected. A spokesperson from Radio Free Asia denounced the online media blockade, calling it a clear violation of Cambodian law aimed at censoring the flow of information ahead of the elections.
Experts on human rights from the United Nations criticized Cambodia’s recent elections for the limitations imposed on civil society and political space, which undermine the credibility of the election results.
The harassment faced by CamboJA is yet another testament to the grim reality under the new government led by Hun Manet, who succeeded his father, Hun Sen. The Ministry of Agriculture’s critical response to the media outlet’s reporting reveals how Cambodian authorities perceive critical journalism as an attack on the reputation and honor of government officials. It also demonstrates how the authorities view critical reporting as a malicious act opposing the government. Such a system expects journalists to submit and operate within the framework of authority rather than challenging it.
This incident also suggests that the new government, led by Hun Manet, may be less tolerant than its predecessor, as ministers and politicians openly threaten to shut down media outlets for critical reporting. Hun Manet, currently serving as Cambodia’s Prime Minister, is the son of long-standing leader Hun Sen, who has been in power since 1985. Hun Sen has faced accusations of manipulating the political playing field by suppressing political opposition parties, making it easier for his own party and his children to secure electoral victories. His government has also been criticized for curtailing civil liberties.
Sources:
– Cambodia Ministry of Agriculture threatens legal action against CamboJA news, Global Voices, 24-09-2023
– Eroding Press Freedom: Media Crash in Cambodia, New Narrative, 25-09-2023
– Family of Violent Government Critics Seeks Justice, CamboJA, 14-09-2023
– World Press Freedom Index 2023, Reporters Without Borders
In Cambodia, there have been cases where critics of the government have been physically attacked on Facebook. And when the independent media reported CamboJA on this issue. Instead, they have been threatened by the Cambodian Ministry of Agriculture, which has been one of the critics. The ministry threatened to remove the minister’s name from the news. This story reflects the threat to independent media in Cambodia. Having previously seized the license of another independent medium, VOD.
30 September 2023 Cambodia’s Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (MAFF) threatens legal action against independent Cambodian media websites. “Federation of Journalists Associations of Cambodia” or CamboJA, accuses this media of defaming ministry officials. This includes the Minister of Agriculture, Dith Tina.
CamboJA previously reported how agricultural entrepreneur Ny Nak and his wife Sok Synet were attacked by a group of eight people wearing helmets using batons and motorcycles. The incident happened near Phnom Penh on September 12.
In a CamboJA news report dated September 14, 2023, the report said, based on information from Human Rights Watch, that the nature of the attack was similar to several attacks against members of the Prey Candle Party, Cambodia’s opposition party a few months before the July elections 2023, there was a person riding a motorbike and beating the victim with a baton.
Ny Nak is a fertilizer producer and fruit tree grower. He was previously jailed for 18 months for criticizing the Cambodian government’s COVID-19 policies. After his release in June, Ny Nak continued to criticize the Cambodian government on his Facebook page regarding government projects, especially those related to agriculture. His Facebook page has more than 400,000 followers.
Ny Nak’s recent posts criticized officials from the Ministry of Labor and the Ministry of Agriculture. Ny Nak said he turned down an invitation to join Cambodia’s ruling party when a party official visited his home to “improve the living conditions of Cambodian workers and farmers.” Ask him to stop attacking the government.
After Ny Nak was attacked He rejected initial conclusions from authorities that the attack could have been a robbery. Ny Nak said, “I believe the people who beat me are trying to kill me because I criticize” the government.”
Am Sam Ath, president of the Cambodia Human Rights Group Lucadho, also reiterated the Cambodian government’s frequent use of physical force against members of the opposition and called for an investigation into the attack on Ny Nak. no suspects have been arrested yet
On September 15, the Cambodian Ministry of Agriculture issued a statement on the ministry’s Facebook page. CamboJA denied Ny Nak’s accusations, calling them “baseless.” The statement also criticized CamboJA for publishing Ny Nak’s comments, calling them “baseless”. “Serious breach of media ethics”
Cambodia’s Ministry of Agriculture has also called on CamboJA to “correct” its own news reports, threatening legal action against them. He has threatened the CamboJA media to act without such “malicious intent” and “defamatory speculation” in the future. and threatened to make them suffer the same fate as the media. The Voice of Democracy, or VOD, is an independent Cambodian media outlet whose license was seized earlier this year by Hun Sen’s government.
After receiving threats from the Ministry of Agriculture, CamboJA agreed to edit its news content by using the name of the Minister of Agriculture. Cambodia removed from news reports Including the names of some people there being redacted. The date of the amendment was set as 19 September 2023, with the name of the spokesperson for the Ministry of Agriculture still included. who was interviewing them and state the situation only, such as Ny Nak “Facebook post criticizing the current Minister of Agriculture” and “Minister of Agriculture People cannot be reached at this time for comments.”
Reflects the threat to independent media in Cambodia.
Cambodia was ranked 147 out of 180 in Reporters Without Borders’ (RSF) 2023 Press Freedom Index, describing the media situation in Cambodia as: Former Prime Minister Hun Sen has been at war with independent media in Cambodia since before 2018 elections, and in the most recent elections in 2023, harassment of political opponents and harassment by the media increased, leading to the revocation of their credentials Allow VOD media
New Naratif reported on September 25th about the erosion of media freedom in Cambodia, mentioning the confiscation of VOD media licenses.
Khan Leakhena, a VOD journalist who has worked there for more than 10 years, told New Naratif that VOD used to “work as a team without discrimination” and tried to create a “happy” environment even among While working hard
In the months leading up to the July 2023 elections, she faced harassment until VOD was shut down. She says towards the end of 2022, a stranger came to track her down. She noted that it happened after she covered a protest in Freedom Park calling for the release of political prisoners. On another occasion, she was chased by a driver who tried to hit her while leaving the office on a motorbike. Fortunately, she managed the collision. Leakhena said it was “One of the worst experiences of harassment she has faced recently. Compared to 10 years of working as a journalist.”
In addition to VOD, several days before the 2023 elections, the Cambodian government has ordered internet service providers to block media critical of the government. Cambodia Daily, Radio Free Asia and Kamnotra
A spokesman for Radio Free Asia said in a statement: Blocking these online media “is a clear violation of Cambodian law and an attempt to censor the free flow of information ahead of the July 23 elections.”
Human rights experts from the United Nations said: Cambodia’s latest elections were held under The “limitation of civil society and political space” is something that affects the “Reliability” of election results
New Naratif also reports how VOD shutdowns and media harassment have led to self-censorship and journalists unable to work due to lack of resources.
The harassment against the media does not seem to stop even after the election. Such as the latest case that happened to CamboJA’s media. Sebastian Strangio, Southeast Asia editor of “The Diplomat” said that the Ministry of Agriculture CamboJA’s threatening statement is a reflection of ongoing media freedom problems under the new government led by Hun Manet, successor the media of his father, Hun Sen.
Strangio analyzed that the Cambodian Ministry of Agriculture criticizes the media It reflects that the Cambodian authorities consider critical reporting as an attack on the reputation and honor of government officials. This is also seen as a sign of malicious intent to oppose the government. In this type of system, journalists are expected to submit and operate within the framework of authority rather than challenging it.
The incident also reflects the reality under Hun Manet’s new government, where ministers and politicians are still arrogant enough to threaten to close media outlets for critical reports. Perhaps it is a sign that the new government is likely to be less tolerant than Hun Sen’s government.
Hun Manet, the current Prime Minister of Cambodia, is the son of Hun Sen, who has been in power since 1985. Hun Sen has been accused of organizing the disenfranchisement of several political opposition parties. It has become an easy way for his own party and his children to win the election. As well as suppressing independent media Human rights officials have also criticized Hun Sen’s government for curtailing civil liberties.
Compiled from
Cambodia Ministry of Agriculture threatens legal action against CamboJA news, Global Voices, 24-09-2023
Eroding Press Freedom: Media Crash in Cambodia, New Narrative, 25-09-2023
Family of Violent Government Critics Seeks Justice, CamboJA, 14-09-2023
World Press Freedom Index 2023, Reporters Without Borders
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