Saturday, 30 May 2009

Opposition Editor Summoned to City Court

By Kong Sothanarith, VOA Khmer
Original report from Phnom Penh
29 May 2009

Phnom Penh Municipal Court called an opposition journalist in for questioning Friday over articles he published on corruption and the cabinet minister.

Hang Chakra, director of the Khmer Mchas Srok newspaper, ran two stories alleging that Council Minister Sok An was involved in corruption.

One article praised Prime Minister Hun Sen for “destroying” corrupt officials surrounding Sok An.

Sok An is a deputy prime minister and one of the most powerful officials in government. He oversees matters concerning the Khmer Rouge tribunal and oil exploration, among others.

Rights workers and monitors maintain that Cambodia’s media environment, while technically free, remains fettered by political influence.

Last year, the editor of opposition newspaper Moneaksekar Khmer, Dam Sith, was jailed in a suit brought by Foreign Minister Hor Namhong.

Later, a journalist for Moneaksekar Khmer, Khim Sambor, was murdered. No one has been arrested for the killing.

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