A new government radio station dedicated to educating Cambodians about democracy and human rights will begin broadcasting sometime before the July elections, Om Yentieng, the prime minister’s adviser on human rights and the director of the government’s Cambodia Human Rights Commission, said on Monday.
“In the past, human rights education was provided by NGOs, but they did not reach the people in the countryside. Our radio broadcast will reach the people in the countryside,” Om Yentieng said.
Om Yentieng added that the new station, FM 101, will be broadcast at 10 kilowatts. He also said he is looking for donations from friendly countries, as running the station is expected to cost about $100,000.
The opposition party has accused the Ministry of Information of unfair distribution of radio frequencies.
“When the Sam Rainsy Party asked for a radio frequency, they said there were no more frequencies. They said the opposition party had no right to create its own radio station, even though we had a private company apply for it. But their party [the CPP] easily gets a frequency and a license,” Sam Rainsy Party Cabinet Chief Phi Thach said Monday.
There is a rule preventing political parties from owning their own stations but it is widely known that the CPP has extensive influence over broadcasting.
Kem Sokha, former Funcinpec senator and director of the newly founded Cambodian Center for Human Rights, said Monday he too will apply for a radio license.
“Most of the radio stations belong to private companies, but they work for the government, especially for the Cambodian People’s Party,” Kem Sokha said. He added that he does not expect to be granted a license.
National Election Committee spokesperson Leng Sochea said he had no comment on the granting of radio licenses, but added that “the NEC is ready to provide equal access to media for all parties.”
The matter, he said, is outside the NEC’s jurisdiction as broadcast licensing is up to the Ministry of Information.
Committee for Free and Fair Elections director Koul Panha was more critical.
“It is so clear that the government is not committed to the freedom of electronic broadcasting. Broadcasting is a very important channel to the rural people…. The problem is we need impartial information.”
Koul Panha also said he would urge the NEC to divide air time evenly among the parties. “The NEC should explain to the government what means a free and fair environment,” he said.
Mam Sanando of Beehive Radio—a station the government threatened to shut down for airing Radio Free Asia and Voice of America broadcasts in October—was angered by the licensing debate.
“Our country is communism reincarnated,” he said. “It is hard to build up free democracy. Our country is a dictatorship. The government is violating the Constitution because the Constitution says Cambodians have freedom of speech.”
Earlier this month Funcinpec President Prince Norodom Ranariddh said his party controls a privately held radio station that it may use to mount an aggressive media campaign before July’s elections.
