Phnom Penh Post newspapers are see on a desk, in this picture illustration taken May 7, 2018. Source: Reuters/ Samrang Pring
AMID a crackdown against the media, civil society and political
opposition, Cambodia’s government has announced it will roll out new
measures to combat what it deems to be “fake news”.
According to the Khmer Times,
the country’s Ministries of Interior, Telecommunications and
Information on Wednesday announced a new joint-directive aimed at
curbing the spread of what Prime Minister Hun Sen’s government considers
fake news.
The government has vowed to crackdown against websites and social media
profiles allegedly distributing false information. All websites
operating in the Kingdom must register with the Ministry of Information
or else face additional scrutiny.
“We will start to take measures on Thursday. We have been preparing for a
long time, and we have provided ample time for relevant ministries to
review,” Ministry of Information spokesperson Phos Sovann was quoted as
saying.
Those found guilty of creating or distributing false information could
face imprisonment of up to two years and fines of up to US$1000, the Khmer Times reported.
Cambodia’s media has historically been relatively open and diverse,
however in the lead-up to this month’s national elections, the ruling
Cambodian People’s Party (CPP) has targeted independent media outlets.
Hun Sen’s regime shuttered the independent Cambodia Daily newspaper
last September, the final headline for which declared the country’s
‘Descent Into Outright Dictatorship’. He has ruled the Southeast Asian
nation for more than three decades.
Cambodia’s Prime Minister Hun Sen smiles during a rally in with garment
workers in Kandal province, Cambodia, July 4, 2018. Source:
Reuters/Samrang Pring
The Cambodia Daily’s main independent competitor the Phnom Penh Post,
meanwhile, was bought in May 2018 by the owner of a Malaysian public
relations firm with links to Hun Sen, seeing an exodus of local and
foreign journalists opposed to editorial self-censorship.
The Phnom Penh Post reported
that on Monday, Hun Sen warned his government were employing technology
with which they could hone in on any Facebook user in “only six
minutes”.
“Fake news is not good for a real democracy, we want good news for our
people,” added Sovan this week as the fake news provisions were
introduced.
Cambodia joins its regional neighbour Malaysia in having a law against
supposed fake news – the first one of its kind in the world. While
introduced under the previous Prime Minister Najib Razak, the incumbent
PM Mahathir Mohamad has pledged to overturn the law in the name of free
speech.
Singapore has also considered introducing such legislation, however its
government said earlier in June that it was in “no rush” to introduce
anti-fake news laws.
Last month, a Cambodian man was arrested in Phnom Penh for supposedly
sharing fake news about Thai Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha, the Bangkok Post reported.
