Ministry Bans US-Backed Radio Broadcasts for Election Weekend
The Ministry of Information ordered local radio stations not to transmit programs from U.S.-backed broadcasters over the election weekend, an official said. Voice of America (VOA), the U.S. government’s official broadcaster overseas, and Radio Free Asia (RFA), a station funded in part by the U.S. government, both had planned Khmer-language broadcasts taken off the air without notice. Buth Bovuth, director general of the Information Ministry’s information and broadcasting department, said yesterday that officials had asked local F.M. stations not to transmit VOA and RFA programs because they are foreign, and therefore “not under our law.” “We prevented them from broadcasting because we are afraid they will broadcast something to imbalance the commune election process,” Mr. Bovuth said. …
