Has Cambodia's media democracy gone wild?

Has Cambodia's media democracy gone wild?

PHNOM PENH (UPI): The assassination of newspaper editor Nuon Chan highlights the fragility -- and for some the dilemma -- of Cambodia's media.

The 44-year-old editor was killed by two gunmen on a motorbike in central Phnom Penh Sept. 7 after his newspaper, Voice of Khmer Youth, published articles critical of the government and of Vietnam.

The assassination prompted international and local condemnation and sent shockwaves through Cambodia's fledgling but fast-expanding newspaper industry.

Before the 1993 UN-supervised election, Phnom Penh had five newspapers -- all run by the ruling party or the army. Now there are seven times that number and this media revolution is seen by some as an example that Cambodia is beginning to be somewhat free and democratic.

"I am happy that there are a lot of newspapers. That demonstrates to the world that Cambodia is enjoying freedom of the press," Information Minister Ieng Mouly said.

But Mouly disagreed with some people in the profession and are watching the profession along with those who worry this new-found freedom is out of control and an example of democracy gone a bit wild.

"I want journalists and those who own newspapers to perform their duty properly, with responsibility," said the minister. "You can write freely but if people complain about your article, you must be responsible."

Cambodia probably has more newspapers per person than anywhere else in Asia, but the standard of journalism is often poor, and many of the 36 local newspapers publish what appear to be defamatory articles and cartoons.

They also publish pictures which some conservatives may interpret as pornographic or offensive.

There is a total lack of understanding of what freedom of the press means," said one human rights official who has watched the proliferation of newspapers in Phnom Penh.

"As a result, you get articles insulting members of government and respectable people in society," he said. "Some of the cartoons are particularly violent and insulting."

One newspaper recently published a front-page cartoon depicting the body of a woman said to be Prime Minister Hun Sen's wife, beneath the head of a pig.

"The newspapers are very, very outspoken," said former Indochina correspondent Judith Clark, who now lectures in journalism at Baptist College in Hong Kong.

"They have a lot of critical political comment. They have very strong cartoons and very strong pictures," said Clark, who recently was in Phnom Penh preparing for a PhD on the media in Cambodia.

The local newspapers are "rubbish," said Khieu Kanharith, Cambodia's best-known editor who founded and ran for 11 years, the Kampuchea newspaper.

Newspapers are full of speculation and unfounded criticism of government leaders, businessmen and local personalities, added Kanharith who now is secretary of state for information.

The government often complains when critical articles appear in the local or international press. Kanharith however, in spite of his government position, said he supports genuine criticism by the media.

"The primary role of the free press in a democratic society is to make enquiry about the wrongdoing of the government or people with power," Kanharith told the Foreign Correspondents Club.

"Particularly in this country, when you don't have opposition parties, the role of the press is crucial."

Clark agreed, but said it is too much to expect the 1-year-old coalition government to embrace overnight the concept of a free media.

The government is made up of former communists who tightly controlled the media for 13 years and former resistance fighters who at the same time pumped out propaganda from Paris or from bases along the Thai-Cambodian borders.

"When people have not had the chance to speak out, to read newspapers, watch TV, listen to the radio, for 20 years, they will react by speaking out," Clark said. "All the people in the government have no experience of a free press, so are not used to being criticized.

"The government in Phnom Penh controlled all the newspapers, so nothing critical was written in those newspapers and the (resistance) people in Bangkok or France had newsletters or bulletins or nothing else, so they sometimes overreact.

"You can't expect the press to suddenly turn into a mature Western-style media. It takes time."

Most media-watchers agree a workable, trustworthy, legal system is crucial and one of the government's priorities ought to be adoption of a press law which defines defamation.

"If there is a law that specifies what defamation is, and if people can trust the courts to prosecute properly on defamation, that would end criticism that is unjustified and will leave a place for what is justified," Clark said.