Cambodia imposes sanctions on 800 journalists for taking money from a casino
Cambodia’s Information Ministry has threatened sanctions against 828 “journalists,” accusing them of extorting “rice, water, gasoline” and other freebies from border casinos, the Khmer Times reported.
In September, Takeo province's top Diamond Casino complained on social media that "700 to 900" people each month claimed to represent the media and used press passes to hitchhike from the casino.
Information ministry spokesman Tep Asnarith said 192 journalists from 107 media outlets were interviewed, including 170 men and 22 women. He added that the ministry was preparing to take "legal action" against the remaining 636 people who did not show up.
"The Ministry of Information is preparing appropriate procedures to deal with these individuals," Asnaris added.
Free (-loaded) news?
It is unclear whether the allegations against the journalists are true or part of an ongoing crackdown on press freedom by the Cambodian government. Journalists' salaries in the country are low and corruption is widespread. This can encourage them to get paid directly from the institutions they work for in exchange for good descriptions.
But it seems unusual that so many journalists would be writing about casinos in a sleepy town on the border with Vietnam, unless many of them are just pretending to be journalists.
According to the Cambodian Journalists Alliance (CamboJA), the country’s authoritarian government is committed to suppressing independent media. Meanwhile, the English-language newspaper Khmer Times, the source of the report, strongly supported the government in reports and editorials.
The story was also reported by the Phnom Penh Post, which was bought by a businessman close to the government in 2018, prompting Amnesty International to lament the "collapse of media freedom in Cambodia".
Last year, the government shut down one of the country’s last remaining independent news organizations, the Voice of Democracy (VOD).
“The ruling party is concerned about the role of independent media in the country because they are not controlled by the government,” CamboJA executive director Nop Vy told Reuters last year.
Media Ethics
The Khmer Times also quoted Wei as saying that the incident had caused huge damage to the reputation of Cambodian journalists.
Preventive measures aim to educate, enhance media understanding and professional training of journalists with the collective participation of all involved," he said."When journalists carry out their work in accordance with their roles and responsibilities and with ethics and professionalism, Their reputation in society will improve. "
In a press release, the ministry urged all journalists to abide by press laws and warned against ethical violations that "damage the honor of the media and disrupt order." She announced that she would take legal action if there were further violations of press regulations.
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Source: www.casino.org
