Cambodian PM shuts down media outlet for attacking him and his son
Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen
Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen on Sunday ordered the shutdown of one of the last remaining independent media outlets in the country, saying it had launched attacks on him and his son.
Hun Sen ordered the Ministry of Information to execute his order while instructing Phnom Penh police to 'keep order' but not seize property.
According to the directive, the media outlet named Voice of Democracy, more colloquially known as VOD will cease to have the rights to broadcast anything from Monday.
In a lengthy Facebook message, Hun Sen said he refused to accept the apology from the media outlet. Notably, VOD, last Wednesday published a story detailing Cambodia's earthquake aid to Turkey.
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The story suggested that Hun Sen's son Hun Manet, the current deputy commander of the armed forces had signed the aid agreement, which was overstepping the bounds of his position.
Read more: Superstitious Cambodian PM changes his birth date to avert bad luck
The PM did not take heartto the story and said it had damaged the country's reputation whilst demanding an apology.
"Commentators tried to attack me and my son Hun Manet," wrote the PM.
Cambodian Center for Independent Media (CCIM), the NGO that ran VOD published an apology letter which was not accepted by the Cambodian strongman leader.
He suggested VOD and its promoters ask 'foreign friends' for money and that employees of the company find a job elsewhere.
"People are shocked and still trying to process this. It has been a very accelerated time frame from when the story was published to the suspension of a licence," Ananth Baliga, associate editor, VOD was quoted as saying by BBC.
WATCH |Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen meets with Junta Chief amid protests in Myanmar
Hun Sen shutting down the outlet comes a few months before general elections are scheduled in the country. He is one of the longest-serving dictators in the world, having managed to usurp power for more than three decades.
According to experts, the crackdown on media is an attempt to shut down any avenues of civil dissent and keep public sentiment in check.
(With inputs from agencies)
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