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News is very important for people — it keeps them updated with what’s happening or going to happen in their area and around the world. These days Cambodians can get their news on the internet, which provides both local and international news.
They can get a variety of news on the internet, some of it written by professionals and some by those who simply created a website or blog. If you cannot read English, don’t worry. You can still follow the daily news on the internet through an increasing number of Khmer websites and blogs. The news varies from lifestyle to political discussion, and everyone can have their voice heard.
Most people think that the internet is a totally free world since anyone can write or post something for others to read. However, it is not free when a government tries to censor the internet and restrict the information. In Burma, according to the Wikipedia website, the military government restricts internet access through software-based censorship which limits the material citizens can access and it blocks some websites.
Will this happen in Cambodia?
As far as I know, there aren’t any websites blocked by the Cambodian government, so we are able to read things critical of the government like KI-media. However, the Cambodian Center for Human Rights said on December 17 that it was concerned government officials were going to start censoring websites after a report by Radio Free Asia that Var Kimhong, Cambodia’s senior minister in charge of border affairs, had spoken out against KI-media: “I asked the government to shut down this website on December 31,” he said.
If the government starts censoring internet content, it would.
By: Dara Saoyuth This article was publish on LIFT, Issue 52 published on January 5, 2010
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