Cambodian Journalists Talk for Common Interest

Cambodia News and New Youth
Ratnak

Phnom Penh (29 December, 2013): The Cambodian Ministry of Information on Sunday coordinated in a special meeting an effort of the national journalists to set up a group for journalists’ interest and one voice in both the country and the region.

Speaking in a discussion on “The Initiative Possibility to Establish the Cambodian National Journalist Federation” in Phnom Penh, Information Minister Khieu Kanharith said it is useful for all Cambodian journalists to have one voice so that they can have a representative in the name of the Cambodian journalists as the whole.

“I have met many organizations and donors and they said they want to help the Cambodian journalists but since there have been many associations they do not know which one they can reach. So the today meeting, your all should find out a way to work together for the interest of the Cambodian journalists,” he told scores of journalists from 21 associations out of nearly 30 Cambodian journalist associations nationwide.

The Ministry of Information would not interfere with the establishment but it just coordinates if the Cambodian journalists want to do so, the Minister said by adding that there are many meetings and workshops of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) but there is no any Cambodian journalist to represent the country in the regional events.

After the general elections in 1993 orgnaised by the United Nations, Cambodia had only one Journalist Association but two years later it broke apart due to political interference from powerful people. Since then, the country has 28 different journalist associations.

Information Minister Khieu Kanharith (middle) is a discussion on “The Initiative Possibility to Establish the Cambodian National Journalist Federation” in Phnom Penh on Sunday 29 December, 2013.

Mr. Pen Samitthy, President of Club of Cambodian Journalists, speaks at a discussion on “The Initiative Possibility to Establish the Cambodian National Journalist Federation” in Phnom Penh on Sunday 29 December, 2013. He expresses his agreement to establish a federation for the sake of the journalists as the whole.

View of a discussion on “The Initiative Possibility to Establish the Cambodian National Journalist Federation” in Phnom Penh on Sunday 29 December, 2013 joined by participants from 21 associations out of 28 Cambodian journalist associations nationwide.