Foreign reporters quit newspaper in Cambodia en masse after sale

[geovalin]

By Prak Chan Thul

PHNOM PENH, May 9 (Reuters) - As many as 13 foreign journalists have resigned en masse from a Cambodian newspaper, the Phnom Penh Post, in protest at what they called editorial interference following its sale to a Malaysian businessman.

 

The sale of the English-language newspaper, announced at the weekend, came amid increasing concern about a crackdown by long-serving Prime Minister Hun Sen against his critics ahead of a general election set for July 29.

 

The resignations followed the announcement of the sale of the paper by Australian mining magnate Bill Clough, who has owned it since 2008, to Malaysian investor Sivakumar Ganapathy, whose public relations firm lists Hun Sen as a client.

 

The resignations of as many as 13 editors and reporters leave no foreign journalists at the paper, which has built a reputation for independent reporting that can be critical of the government on issues such as illegal logging and corruption.

 

"We did what we felt we had to do to maintain our journalistic integrity," one of the journalists who resigned, Andrew Nachemson, an American, told Reuters.

 

"It was a difficult and very personal decision, and I wish all my Cambodian colleagues the best."

Ganapathy did not immediately respond to telephone calls from Reuters on Wednesday to seek comment.

 

Erin Handley, a sub-editor, said she was filled with admiration for the staff remaining at the paper.

"Can't say how much admiration I have for Khmer reporters who are staying, despite everything," Handley said on social network Twitter.

 

Representatives of Ganapathy ordered the removal from the newspaper's website on Monday of an article critical of the sale, several reporters at the paper said.

 

The incident led to the firing of the editor-in-chief, Kay Kimsong, a Cambodian, after he refused to take down the article, Kimsong told Reuters.

 

In a statement on Monday, Ganapathy said the article, since removed from the website, was a "disgrace and an insult to the independence claim of the newspaper."

 

International rights groups and journalism bodies have said they fear the sale of the paper, founded in 1992, could signal the end of independent media in Cambodia ahead of the July vote.

 

Another English-language paper, the Cambodia Daily, shut down last year after the government gave its a month to settle a $6.3-million tax bill.

 

A third English-language paper, the Khmer Times, is owned by another Malaysian. It takes a pro-government stance.

 

Ganapathy is the managing director of Asia Public Relations Consultants Sdn Bhd, headquartered in Kuala Lumpur, whose website referred to "Cambodia and Hun Sen's entry into the government seat" as one of its projects.

 

When a Reuters journalist visited the firm's office in Kuala Lumpur, the Malaysian capital, on Tuesday, the door was locked and nobody responded to several rings on the doorbell.

 

A representative for the firm declined on Tuesday to comment to Reuters on the sale, adding that Ganapathy was travelling abroad for the next two weeks.

 

(Additional reporting by Rozanna Latiff in Kuala Lumpur Writing by Amy Sawitta Lefevre Editing by Clarence Fernandez)

 

source http://news.trust.org//item/20180509052156-a94no/

 

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 09/05

[saakura]

13 foreigner reporters working in a small time English newspaper in a country like Cambodia?? Daily circulation was about 20,000 copies as per statistics on the net. Surely it is being financed at a loss by some parties with a vested interest??

[lionsincity]

22 hours ago, saakura said:

13 foreigner reporters working in a small time English newspaper in a country like Cambodia?? Daily circulation was about 20,000 copies as per statistics on the net. Surely it is being financed at a loss by some parties with a vested interest??

 

that 20,000 was probably a bloated figure.

 

 

 

[Matt96]

4 hours ago, car720 said:

I believe that this is a good example of the influence that the press has on the everyday person in any country.

so a foreign national, who was not elected by anybody,  feels himself entitled to spend money on propaganda through media and affect politics of a sovereign country? because he honestly believes that he knows it better how other people should live?

 

in the US such a newspaper would be called  a "foreign agent" (proof https://www.justice.gov/nsd-fara) and it's activity would be strictly monitored. Because Americans hate when others tell them how to live. but same Americans are so happy to do it themselves

 

all problems of the world come from people like this - who honestly believe that they know better how others should live and that they have a moral authority to enforce their views.

 

disgusting

 

why don't you keep your views for yourself and leave others alone?

Edited May 10, 2018 by Matt96

[Matt96]

3 hours ago, car720 said:

I will if you will.

i dont own a newspaper - if you do and it is not your home country - stop now.

[Mad mick]

18 hours ago, Matt96 said:

so a foreign national, who was not elected by anybody,  feels himself entitled to spend money on propaganda through media and affect politics of a sovereign country? because he honestly believes that he knows it better how other people should live?

 

in the US such a newspaper would be called  a "foreign agent" (proof https://www.justice.gov/nsd-fara) and it's activity would be strictly monitored. Because Americans hate when others tell them how to live. but same Americans are so happy to do it themselves

 

all problems of the world come from people like this - who honestly believe that they know better how others should live and that they have a moral authority to enforce their views.

 

disgusting

 

why don't you keep your views for yourself and leave others alone?

Hun Sen's was X Senior Commander Pol pot's Khmer Rouge Army, Who defected across to Vietnamese' After fall of Phnom penh , Vietnamese knew China's plans to invade Vietnam from the north  Pol pot's Army from south ' Viets did not want fight war on 2 fronts " Vietnam surprised China by invading Cambodia first " took Phnom penh in 3 weeks , what was left of Pol pot's fled to Cambodian Thai northern border later , Vietnam withdraw a few years later left Hun Sen in as PM of Cambodia by then had married Vietnamese lady " Smart move " he's obviously is a dictator sleazebag, with no morals kills whoever politically stands in his way , he's despised by the people of cambodia who are to afraid to speak up , they know what will happen , This News paper will even more so strengthen his grip on power , Killing field still exist in Cambodia , political assassination or detention for those who speak up there is no freedom of the press, 

[Matt96]

9 hours ago, Mad mick said:

Hun Sen's was X Senior Commander Pol pot's Khmer Rouge Army, Who defected across to Vietnamese' After fall of Phnom penh , Vietnamese knew China's plans to invade Vietnam from the north  Pol pot's Army from south ' Viets did not want fight war on 2 fronts " Vietnam surprised China by invading Cambodia first " took Phnom penh in 3 weeks , what was left of Pol pot's fled to Cambodian Thai northern border later , Vietnam withdraw a few years later left Hun Sen in as PM of Cambodia by then had married Vietnamese lady " Smart move " he's obviously is a dictator sleazebag, with no morals kills whoever politically stands in his way , he's despised by the people of cambodia who are to afraid to speak up , they know what will happen , This News paper will even more so strengthen his grip on power , Killing field still exist in Cambodia , political assassination or detention for those who speak up there is no freedom of the press, 

as long as you are a foreigner - its none of your business who runs Cambodia. it is an internal Cambodian issue.

all problems, including Pol Pot, came from

1)  US AF bombed eastern Cambodia to stone age. Poor tiny Cambodia got more American bombs then Nazi Germany in the second world war.

2) the CIA toppled king Sihanouk's government and installed a puppet Lon Nol's regime.

3) Pol Pot was brainwashed by leftists while studying in France.

 

And even after Pol Pot's defeat - the US state department protected him and his Khmer rouge. because a new Cambodian regime was installed by Vietnamese.  many years after defeat Khmer rouge Angkar member represented Cambodia in the UN. Because the US wanted this.

 

why don't you finally leave Cambodia alone?!

 

 

Edited May 11, 2018 by Matt96

[Mad mick]

12 hours ago, Matt96 said:

as long as you are a foreigner - its none of your business who runs Cambodia. it is an internal Cambodian issue.

all problems, including Pol Pot, came from

1)  US AF bombed eastern Cambodia to stone age. Poor tiny Cambodia got more American bombs then Nazi Germany in the second world war.

2) the CIA toppled king Sihanouk's government and installed a puppet Lon Nol's regime.

3) Pol Pot was brainwashed by leftists while studying in France.

 

And even after Pol Pot's defeat - the US state department protected him and his Khmer rouge. because a new Cambodian regime was installed by Vietnamese.  many years after defeat Khmer rouge Angkar member represented Cambodia in the UN. Because the US wanted this.

 

why don't you finally leave Cambodia alone?!

 

 

Correct America did bomb the fk out of Cambodia the secret war along with Laos and yes backed Pol pot's mob of savages, only reason he survived so long on thai /cambodia border with american aid " thats America for you " China Supplied most of khmer rouge weapons they all wanted Vietnam Natural Resources Oil , Gas South china sea , Rich Rice / food belt, Coffee,  All wars based on minerals and natural Resources " Laos is and still is the most bombed country on the planet ! more bombs dropped on Laos during vietnam war than both world war's put together , i was in laos myself 'Pol pot was a nutter who organised mass genocide of over 3 to 4 million of his people numbers are mostly undisclosed over 4 years period 'made hitler look like a boy scout genocide wise , China invaded Vietnam, Vietnamese were outnumbered 10 to 1 Still soundly defeated invading chinese at a place now known as " meat grinder estimated 2 to 3 division lost? As they retreated back across viet / china border they leveled every village slaughtered civilians while retreating Loss of Face ? What china learnt they have to modernise there military , Now they have '

Edited May 11, 2018 by Mad mick

[Matt96]

On 5/12/2018 at 6:36 AM, Mad mick said:

Correct America did bomb the fk out of Cambodia

bombed an independent nation to kill people from another independent nation who wanted to manage their own country?

 

during the 20th century the CIA successfully toppled independent governments more than 50 times -in Latin America, Africa and Asia. and how many unsuccessful attempts were made?

 

all that happened because the US thought that it has a right to decide how other countries should live.

 

civilized humanity should unite to force the US and EU back in their geographical borders. 

 

independent governments can be good or bad - especially from foreigner's point of view. but it's none of his business how independent nations run their own countries.

 

all disasters came to Cambodia from abroad. from the US or Europe, or Commonwealth comtries.  but they still can't live peacefully, without imposing their dubious values...

 

On 5/12/2018 at 6:36 AM, Mad mick said:

China Supplied most of khmer rouge weapons they all wanted Vietnam Natural Resources Oil

so how did this justify American atrocities in Indochina?

a foreign country, which situated very far away, just invaded Indochina with help of a puppet regime and started to kill people who lived there. 

 

I can imagine how American people can look in eyes of Vietnamese kids crippled by agent orange? how can Americans sleep at night knowing that people elected by them, using their money killed so many innocent people abroad? all over the world? and keep killing every single day.

Edited May 13, 2018 by Matt96

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

On 5/10/2018 at 10:48 PM, Matt96 said:

i dont own a newspaper - if you do and it is not your home country - stop now.

 

There are all kind of foreign language and foreign company owned newspapers and other media outlets that circulate in the U.S.  And there's no legal or other impediments to that, despite your rant.

 

The problem arises, rightly so, when it's a supposedly independent media source that is in fact owned, funded or otherwise beholden to a foreign government, kind of like RT in the U.S.  They didn't run into trouble because they were Russian journalists reporting in the U.S.  They ran into trouble because they operated as a pretty direct arm of the Russian government, and that's not journalism.

 

In the case of the Phnom Penh Post here, it was run by private individuals and a private company without any financial or operational allegiance to any foreign government, despite having journalists from other countries. That's perfectly fine in the media world, where international journalists as great so long as they're actual journalists, and not paid stooges or propagandists of a foreign government.

Edited May 13, 2018 by TallGuyJohninBKK

[Matt96]

9 hours ago, TallGuyJohninBKK said:

There are all kind of foreign language and foreign company owned newspapers and other media outlets that circulate in the U.S.  And there's no legal or other impediments to that, despite your rant.

and they are called "foreign agents" and strictly monitored.

look at how they manage to stop broadcasting of Russia Today in many cable networks in USA. Same happens in Britain.

 

because Americans and British cant accept that foreign force affect their politics and elections. but at the same time they are so eager to affect elections in foreign countries themselves.

9 hours ago, TallGuyJohninBKK said:

he problem arises, rightly so, when it's a supposedly independent media source that is in fact owned, funded or otherwise beholden to a foreign government, kind of like RT in the U.S. 

the reality is you cant make a TV channel without huge money. and the one who pays decides about TV station's political agenda and bias.

 

but some TV stations are free to work and some aren't.

9 hours ago, TallGuyJohninBKK said:

They ran into trouble because they operated as a pretty direct arm of the Russian government, and that's not journalism.

haha. so if a foreign billionaire pays TV station's bills - its a journalism, and if a foreign government - its not? ahahaha Billionaire can (and usually are) be affiliated with a government of the country where his assets are. and spread governments' agenda. like George Soros, for example.

 

but the US control the world financial market therefore any international  billionaire can be controlled. therefore for the US media, controlled by him,  are not as dangerous as those controlled by a foreign government. that's why the US is trying to impose the rule that foreign government controlled media are worse then those controlled by a foreign private entity. it's just a convenient lie.

 

there is no major difference whose position defend the TV station - government or a private entity. the problem is that RT effectively debunked one by one lies and myths created by globalist mainstream media in the US. that's why RT got problem in the US.

 

Hun Sen did the same in his country. But what the US is allowed to do, Cambodia is not? because the US has thermo-nuclear weapon and Cambodia does not?

 

 

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

Your ranting is neither logical nor accurate. But facts and reality obviously aren't going to dissuade your mania.

 

Just one example to counter your delusions. Look at the example of the Washington Times newspaper in the U.S., founded by a Korean national and long owned by the Korea based Unification Church and now owned by a subsidiary of the church.

 

No one is accusing the Washington Times or its reporters of being foreign agents nor trying to stop the newspaper from publishing in the U.S.  And the same with many others.

 

American law is American law, and it makes a distinction between "media outlets" funded and directed by foreign governments vs those owned and operated by private businesses, whether domestic or foreign.

 

[Matt96]

20 hours ago, TallGuyJohninBKK said:

No one is accusing the Washington Times or its reporters of being foreign agents nor trying to stop the newspaper from publishing in the U.S. 

haha because it does not publish anything that can irritate leftists-globalists. Korean Unification church and the whole South Korea are completely under the military and financial control of the US.  but if this newspaper would start to say the truth - it will be called a foreign agent

 

20 hours ago, TallGuyJohninBKK said:

American law is American law, and it makes a distinction between "media outlets" funded and directed by foreign governments vs those owned and operated by private businesses,

and I explained why the law is like this

1) it's less likely that a private entity would dare to say anything the US would not like. because the whole financial system is still under US control

2) if necessary, it's so easy to fabricate "evidences" (the same way as "Trump dossier" about "golden rain" in Moscow was fabricated) that a private entity is connected with a foreign government

 

if Hun Sen would adopt the law about "foreign agents", publish "evidences" that the newspaper is acting on behalf of Australian government and close it - will you feel better?

 

 

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

5 hours ago, Matt96 said:

haha because it does not publish anything that can irritate leftists-globalists. Korean Unification church and the whole South Korea are completely under the military and financial control of the US.  but if this newspaper would start to say the truth - it will be called a foreign agent

 

 

Regarding the Washington Times and more, you're obviously totally clueless and wrong again. The paper is a darling of the American far right movement. Please stop while you're behind.

 

Quote

 

The political leanings of The Washington Times are often described as conservative.^[69][70][71]The Washington Post reported:

The Times was established by Moon to combat communism and be a conservative alternative to what he perceived as the liberal leanings of The Washington Post. Since then, the paper has fought to prove its editorial independence, trying to demonstrate that it is neither a "Moonie paper" nor a booster of the political right but rather a fair and balanced reporter of the news.^[12]

Conservative commentator Paul Weyrich said:

The Washington Post became very arrogant and they just decided that they would determine what was news and what wasn't news and they wouldn't cover a lot of things that went on. And the Washington Times has forced the Post to cover a lot of things that they wouldn't cover if the Times wasn't in existence.^[72]

In 2007, the progressive magazine Mother Jones said that the Times had become "essential reading for political news junkies" soon after its founding, and described the paper as a "conservative newspaper with close ties to every Republican administration since Reagan."^[73]
 

In a 2008 Harper's Magazine essay criticizing American conservatism, liberal historian^[74]Thomas Frank linked the Times to the modern American conservative movement, saying:

There is even a daily newspaper—the Washington Times—published strictly for the movement's benefit, a propaganda sheet whose distortions are so obvious and so alien that it puts one in mind of those official party organs one encounters when traveling in authoritarian countries.^[75]

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Washington_Times#Political_stance

[Matt96]

On 5/15/2018 at 12:47 PM, TallGuyJohninBKK said:

Regarding the Washington Times and more, you're obviously totally clueless

so what? it's just a particular case. But generally the situation is the same - all Cambodian troubles came from abroad. from countries which thought they know it better how Cambodians should live.

[Dinobot]

#respect to those journalists who resigned (or were forced out). Integrity.

Sad for Cambodia’s direction. The average person there deserves a lot better than what they’re getting.