Cambodia's Hun Sen orders shutdown of independent local news outlet
Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen ordered the shutdown of one of the last independent local news organizations in the country on Sunday night, saying it had attacked him and his son and hurt the country.
The Voice of Democracy, also known as VOD, will no longer have a license to publish or broadcast from 10am local time on Monday, the prime minister said in a statement posted on his official Facebook page. He ordered Phnom Penh police to "keep order" but not seize property. He said foreign donors to VOD should take back their money and its staff should find new jobs.
"Commentators tried to attack me and my son Hun Manet," Hun Sen wrote. He said a VOD story published earlier this week had hurt the "dignity and reputation" of the Cambodian government, and he ordered the Ministry of Information to cancel VOD’s license.
VOD on Wednesday (February 8) published a story on Cambodia’s earthquake aid to Turkey. The story quoted government spokesperson Phay Siphan saying the prime minister's son and presumed successor Hun Manet had signed the aid agreement. Hun Manet is the joint chief of staff and deputy commander for the country’s armed forces, and signing such an agreement appeared to have overstepped the bounds of his position.
Human rights activist, Phil Robertson, said it was just a matter of time' before VOD was shut down where he deemed this a 'clean sweep' on independent critics to pave way for Hun Manet to take the lead of the government in the future.
VOD is not the first media organization to be shut down in Cambodia. The Cambodia Daily was shut down in late 2017 after being given one month to pay millions in back taxes that the publication disputed. The paper had a reputation for breaking news on tough issues and was shut down months ahead of the last general election in 2018. The next general election is due to be held in July.
Reuters
