Access to information

Prime Minister Hun Sen has reaffirmed his position that online news outlet VOD, which published in both Khmer and English and also produced radio programmes, will never be reopened. ... ...

Senior officials have brushed off concerns raised by the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) over the annulment of the licence for online news outlet VOD, saying this would “improve” the professional ethics of the media in Cambodia. ... ...

In a gesture of goodwill, Prime Minister Hun Sen offered government positions to unemployed Voice of Democracy (VOD) journalists. ... ...

Despite a wave of international concern over the shutdown of independent media Voice of Democracy (VOD), Prime Minister Hun Sen said that the outlet’s license will not be restored and offered VOD reporters government jobs instead in a Facebook post Tuesday. ... ...

Prime Minister Hun Sen has announced that roles within the state framework will be made available for any former employees of online media outlet VOD who wish to engage in public affairs. ... ...

Cambodia said on Tuesday that the shutdown of the foreign-funded VOD (Voice of Democracy) radio over broadcasting “intentionally slanderous” information does not undermine the vibrant press freedom in the Southeast Asian country. ... ...

There were tears at Cambodia’s Voice of Democracy on Monday as journalist Khan Leakhena reacted to the sudden order to close the news website. ... ...

International embassies and other organisations in Cambodia have raised grave concerns about the government’s snap decision to shutter independent media Voice of Democracy (VOD) after revoking its license. ... ...

After the government shuttered independent media Voice of Democracy (VOD) on Monday, dozens of civil society groups decried the decision and numerous embassies warned the loss of the publication seriously damaged Cambodia’s dwindling press freedom in the run-up to the July national election. ... ...

Prime Minister Hun Sen announced the government will revoke the license for media outlet VOD in a Facebook post Sunday evening, after he previously demanded an apology for an article he claimed was inaccurate. ... ...

Prime Minister Hun Sen has ordered the Ministry of Information to revoke the licence of VOD, after the online media outlet failed to apologise for publishing an “intentionally slanderous” article regarding Cambodia’s recent relief assistance to quake-hit Turkiye. ... ...

Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Dith Tina recommended that the Technical Secretariat on Economic Land Concessions maintain a database of the companies which received economic land concessions. Regular inter-ministerial meetings should be held to deliver updates on the progress of each of the companies.​ ...

Several government institutions are working together to improve the effectiveness of the media, as they understand that access to information is vital to the well-being of the population.​ ... ...

Prime Minister Hun Sen urged the Information Ministry to finalize the long-delayed Law on Access to Information during a Saturday press gala in Phnom Penh. He claimed the draft law would be adopted in the next two years after the July national elections.  ... ...

The draft Law on Access to Information could possibly be passed in 2024 or 2025, according to Prime Minister Hun Sen. The drafting of the law has been underway for several years, with inputs from different stakeholders including NGOs and UNESCO who have been pushing for ...

The Ministry of Information, in response to a number of civil society organisations, said it has been working to accelerate the drafting of the Freedom of Information Act. The ministry said it is optimistic that the law will be promulgated in 2023. ... ...

Minor party leaders say voting irregularities they flagged after last year’s commune election have not been addressed by the National Election Committee, which has ignored most of their suggestions for electoral reform. ... ...

Six Southeast Asian journalist organizations from five countries formed a regional partnership to combat increasing repression and deteriorating press freedom at a conference in Phnom Penh on Monday.  ... ...

Young indigenous women and people working to support the development of indigenous women found that young indigenous women live in a situation where information is lacking due to social perspective and public service. ... ...

Media literacy refers to the ability to think objectively about the information a person comes into contact with through general media and, increasingly, social media. It is a common goal of the government and civil society organisations to bring this knowledge to the Cambodian people, ...

The Ministry of Information has disputed a joint statement on impunity for crimes against journalists issued by the Coalition of Cambodian Journalists (CamboJA), Cambodian Centre for Independent Media (CCIM) and 32 other civil society organisations (CSOs). ... ...

A new website dedicated to serving readers' cravings for the essential progress of Cambodia’s digital economy has been officially launched by Meta (formerly Facebook) and Open Development Cambodia (ODC). ... ...

Minister of Information Khieu Kanharith said the Royal Government of Cambodia (RGC) is always committed to improving the respect of press freedom and freedom of expression as enshrined in the Constitution of the Kingdom of Cambodia. ... ...

The pandemic has thrown additional hurdles to the media landscape as there is a quiet resignation of consuming news in the region, the head of a research centre said on Thursday, claiming people find news troublesome, problematic, and biased. ... ...