Journalists in CPP firing line over ‘1-party’ tag

23 May 2014
The Cambodia Daily
Civil society / Communications / Communications infrastructure / Communications policy and administration / Crime and law enforcement / Elections / Government / Human rights / Judiciary and courts / Law and judiciary / Law making process / Laws and regulations / Legal and judicial reform / Ministries and other national bodies / Ministry of Information / Social development
Cambodia National Rescue Party / Cambodia People's Party / CNRP / CPP / Draft Cybercrime Law / Khieu Kanharith / Law on the Organization and Functioning of the Courts / Ministry of Information / National Assembly

The single-party National Assembly sat for the third day of its third plenary session Thursday, with a senior ruling party lawmaker calling on Information Minister Khieu Kanharith to examine whether journalists who call the Assembly “single party” can be punished under law. Sixty-four of the 68 CPP lawmakers who won seats at last year’s disputed election met in parliament to discuss and vote on the government’s Law on the Organization and Functioning of the Courts. With the absence of the CNRP’s 55 lawmakers-elect, who claim that the July 28 election was marred by fraud and have been boycotting their seats since the Assembly was convened in September, the CPP delegation swiftly passed the new law and began discussing media coverage. “I regret that the National Assembly, which is the supreme legislative body among the three state powers, is covered by a petty group of journalists that arbitrarily use harsh words,” said Chheang Vun, a senior CPP lawmaker who previously served as the ambassador to Australia. … The CPP lawmaker also called on Mr. Kanharith and the government to press forward with its plans for a cybercrime law, expressing concern about the information being shared online about the CPP-only Assembly. … Contacted Thursday, Mr. Kanharith said it was possible that the media could be punished under the law for describing the Assembly as “single-party,” but did not specify the circumstances. “It depends on the use of word and intentions of the newspaper,” he said in a Facebook message, adding only that he considers the description wrong. “Legally speaking you can’t call this assembly a ‘single-party national assembly’ because until now CNRP never give up their seats.” Asked to specifically respond to Mr. Vun’s request for information about whether journalists could be punished under the law, he wrote: “If he asks me I can say he should ask the said paper to make rectification.” …

 Hul Reaksmey
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