Government spokesman summons student over Facebook post
Council of Ministers spokesman Phay Siphan has summoned a student from the country’s top state journalism school for a meeting at his office after she used a post on her Facebook page to question the sense of a guest lecture he delivered last week. Mr. Siphan on Thursday gave a speech on being a spokesman to a class of about 20 second-year students at the Royal University of Phnom Penh’s Department of Media and Communications (DMC) before opening the floor to questions. The questions focused on the government’s tight grip on broadcast media, with one student asking why popular radio station owner Mam Sonando, who is openly aligned with the opposition CNRP, has been repeatedly refused television licenses. … After the lecture, a number of the DMC students took to social media to question the lecture, with one Facebook post drawing Mr. Siphan’s ire. … Mr. Siphan confirmed by telephone Sunday that he has called Ms. Chan Rachna for a meeting but said he only wished to clarify himself after the student’s confusion. “I’m going to talk to one student now,” Mr. Siphan said. “The school asked me to come and so I volunteered my time to educate the students. They shouldn’t be rude.” “They should have student ethics but they posted badly on Facebook and so I need to ask them questions,” Mr. Siphan said. The government spokesman also threatened legal action if the source of the recording of his lecture was not disclosed. “You have to tell me who gave you that one. I’m serious on that one or I will bring you to court,” Mr. Siphan told a reporter. “I need who gave you the transcript or you will be in trouble.” “They did not ask me to record my voice, then they put it on Facebook. It’s abuse. If I think it damages my credibility, I could take it to court.” …
Alex Willemyns and Phorn Bopha
http://www.cambodiadaily.com/news/government-spokesman-summons-student-over-facebook-post-58460/
