META HOUSE
#37 Sothearos Blvd
Sunday, September 4, 2011
7:00 PM

Free admittance
Cash Bar

For further information about this screening and our group, contact
opccambodia@gmail.com

On June 29, 2009, Neda Agha Soltan was shot and killed on the streets of Tehran during the protests that followed the Iranian presidential contest. Recorded on mobile phones, images of her dying moments appeared on computer screens within hours across the world via social media sites YouTube and Twitter. Iranian opposition groups broadcast the video via YouTube and Twitter to rally support around the globe. The documentary touches on Neda’s life and the events that lead to her death along with the efforts of social media activists to get the message out.

Though unsuccessful, the protests which were dubbed “The Twitter Revolution” by journalists was the first major world event broadcast worldwide almost exclusively via social media.

After the screening, the OPCC will host a panel discussion on social media and it’s growing impact on journalism.

The panel consists of

• Laura Snook, editor of the Southeast Asia Globe.

• Tharum Bun, freelance journalist and blogger.

• John Weeks, Director of House32 web design and founder of TweetCambodia.

META HOUSE
#37 Sothearos Blvd
Sunday April 3 2011
7:00 PM

Free admittance
Cash bar

PHNOM PENH – The Overseas Press Club of Cambodia (OPCC) is seriously concerned at the actions of Mr Om Yentieng, the head of the government’s anti-corruption unit, who on Friday ordered an assistant to delete digital recordings and confiscate the tapes of a number of journalists following a press conference he had called.

Mr Om Yentieng also heads the government’s Cambodian Human Rights Committee, and – among a number of other positions he holds – is an adviser to Prime Minister Hun Sen.

Mr Om Yentieng objected to questions asked by a reporter, who asked questions relating to the 1997 grenade attack on opposition leader Sam Rainsy in which 16 Cambodians died and more than 100 were injured. To date nobody has been held accountable for the crime, and journalists clearly have a right to raise questions on a matter of such key public importance.

However Mr Phay Siphan, a government spokesman, later told the media that officials had the right to confiscate recordings made by journalists, since questions “sometimes create trouble”, and those officials have “privacy rights … and a right to protect [their] dignity”.

The OPCC is obligated to point out that Mr Om Yentieng’s action is incompatible with Cambodia’s own laws, as laid out below:

1. Confiscation of tapes and/or recorders constitutes a form of pre-publication censorship, which is a violation of Article 3 of the 1995 Press Law.

2. Article 7 of the 1995 Press Law states that journalists have a responsibility to obtain news “by fair methods”. Asking public officials questions of public interest at or after a press conference clearly does not breach that Article.

3.Article 10 of the 1995 Press Law deals with recourse, and states that any person who believes an article or text “is false and harms his or her honor or dignity … has the right to demand a retraction … or the right to reply … or to sue.” In other words, there is recourse for officials to take action after publication, but not preemptively.


Finally, Articles 31 and 41 of the Constitution of the Kingdom of Cambodia – the highest law of the land – guarantee the freedom of the press.

“A healthy, democratic society needs a free press, and Cambodia’s laws explicitly guarantee a free press,” said OPCC president Robert Carmichael.

“In the interests of protecting a free press, the OPCC expects government officials to adhere to the country’s laws relating to the media and press freedoms, which are hard-won,” he said.

The OPCC calls on the authorities to ensure that members of the press are not obstructed while doing their jobs, and that they are not unjustly accused, harassed or arrested for going about their professional duties.

The OPCC also calls on Mr Om Yentieng to ensure that all recordings and any non-returned recording equipment are returned to the journalists concerned.


FOR FURTHER INFORMATION, CONTACT:
Robert Carmichael, President OPCC: +855-12-941250
robert@robertcarmichael.net

Brian Calvert, Vice-President OPCC: +855-92-352530
brcalvert@gmail.com


PDF VERSION

PHNOM PENH – The Overseas Press Club of Cambodia (OPCC) condemns the actions of uniformed police on a staff photographer of the Phnom Penh Post newspaper at an eviction in Phnom Penh this morning.

Four riot police with shields boxed in and restrained Cambodian national Sovan Philong, 25, preventing him from moving as they confiscated his camera equipment.

During the confiscation, Sovan Philong sustained a minor injury to his head.

At the time Sovan Philong, who was wearing his government-issued press identification, was documenting an eviction at Boeung Kak lake in central Phnom Penh.

Police also confiscated camera equipment being used by Sovan Philiong’s brother, Hong Menea, 20, an apprentice photographer.

The police later returned the camera equipment to both photographers after deleting the images on the memory cards.

The OPCC calls on the authorities to ensure that members of the press are not obstructed while doing their jobs, and that they are not unjustly accused, harassed or arrested for going about their professional duties.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION, CONTACT:
Robert Carmichael, President OPCC: +855-12-941250
robert@robertcarmichael.net
Brian Calvert, Vice-President OPCC: +855-92-352530
brcalvert@gmail.com

NOTES FOR EDITORS
Boeung Kak lake is the site of a controversial eviction and development project by local firm Shukaku Inc, connected to ruling party senator Lao Meng Khin, and a Chinese company, Inner Mongolia Erdos Hung Jun Investment Co.

Download the PDF version here: LINK