Source: AKP
Samdech Akka Moha Sena Padei Techo Hun Sen, Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Cambodia, has reaffirmed the government’s strong commitment to further enhance the press freedom in the country.
“The Royal Government of Cambodia (RGC) always regards media as an indispensable development partner and pays high attention to promote the media sector as other prioritised sectors,” underlined the premier in his message to Cambodian Editors’ Forum to be held in Phnom Penh this weekend.
Thanks to the openness of press freedom and the RGC’s attention, the press freedom situation in Cambodia is better than that in many other ASEAN countries, he added.
Anyway, Samdech Techo Hun Sen considered media as a double-edge weapon, explaining that if the press freedom is used professionally and under the law, it really contributes to enhancing democracy, human rights respect as well as to building peace, political stability and national development. However, he continued, if it is abused, it will destroy democracy, peace and development, and push the country into war.
“The RGC will not allow freedom to be used in an anarchic way to make colour revolution to topple the legal government,” stressed Samdech Techo Hun Sen.
Organised annually by the Club of Cambodian Journalists (CCJ) and supported by Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung, this year’s event will be held on Nov. 25 under the theme “Freedom and Responsibility of Media to Promote Democracy, Peace and Development”.
Currently, there are 530 media organisations in Cambodia, of which 139 are Khmer-language newspapers, 43 foreign-language newspapers, 306 magazines and 42 bulletins. Besides, there are 211 radio stations, 21 TV channels, 1 satellite TV, 5 Pay-TVs, 58 online TV institutions, and 21 permanent representative offices of foreign news agencies, radio and TV stations.