Logo of Phnom Penh Post newspaper Phnom Penh Post - CHRC’s propaganda gaffes draw ridicule

CHRC’s propaganda gaffes draw ridicule

A screenshot of the Cambodian Human Rights Committee’s video on human rights that labelled the Singaporean skyline as Libya before civil war. YouTube
A screenshot of the Cambodian Human Rights Committee’s video on human rights that labelled the Singaporean skyline as Libya before civil war. YouTube

CHRC’s propaganda gaffes draw ridicule

The government’s Cambodian Human Rights Committee was the subject of ridicule yesterday after a propaganda video tried to pass off snapshots of the Singapore skyline as those of pre-civil war Libya.

The video, titled Using Rights in an Anarchic Way, part of a web series, was uploaded on Sunday.

The slick video compiles a series of before-and-after photos of Syria and Libya, backed by dramatic strings, and warns “the excessive use if [sic] rights will bring about destruction”.

The two civil-war stricken states are a favourite metaphor of government officials urging Cambodians not to “misuse” their rights, yet the video uses an image of Singapore in place of Libya, as highlighted by Channel News Asia.

But the gaffes do not stop there. An image of Qatar’s capital of Doha also features in the video, while another video – which compares Cambodia after the Khmer Rouge era to the modern day – uses images of traffic jams in Vietnam to illustrate that there are now “too many people” in Phnom Penh.

The head of the human rights committee, Keo Remy, said the Singapore error was an “unintentional mistake” that his technical team had now fixed.

“It’s not embarrassing . . . the young people on the technical team have never been to visit Singapore or Libya,” Remy said. “They searched Google for ‘Libya at night time’ . . . it’s not a big deal.”

Twitter user Jess Lim, based in Siem Reap, said the mistake was ironic. “Coming from Singapore, I could smell a propaganda video a mile away,” she said yesterday, after tweeting a link to the story with the words: “Zero points for subtlety. Also, funny that Libya looked a whole lot like Singapore once.”

Satirical twitter account Hun Sen’s Eye tweeted: “Watch your rights-exercising! You know what the problem in Syria is? They love human rights TOO MUCH! #Cambodia”.

Independent human rights consultant Billy Tai said it was problematic for the Cambodian government to compare itself to leaders like Gaddafi and Assad – vicious dictators whose people revolted against them.

“They’re trying to say the people are the ones that are abusing the rights we’ve graciously given,” Tai said.

He said such a claim was analogous to “the perverse logic of an abusive relationship”, where the victim is blamed for inciting anger and beatings.

Cambodian Centre for Human Rights executive director Chak Sopheap said the video’s true mistake was that it advocated restricting freedoms, rather than promoting and protecting human rights.

MOST VIEWED

  • Joy as Koh Ker Temple registered by UNESCO

    Cambodia's Koh Ker Temple archaeological site has been officially added to UNESCO’s World Heritage List, during the 45th session of the World Heritage Committee held in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on September 17. The ancient temple, also known as Lingapura or Chok Gargyar, is located in

  • Famed US collector family return artefacts to Cambodia

    In the latest repatriation of ancient artefacts from the US, a total of 33 pieces of Khmer cultural heritage will soon return home, according to the Ministry of Culture and Fine Arts. In a September 12 press statement, it said the US Attorney’s Office for the

  • Cambodia set to celebrate Koh Ker UNESCO listing

    To celebrate the inscription of the Koh Ker archaeological site on UNESCO’s World Heritage List, the Ministry of Cults and Religion has appealed to pagodas and places of worship to celebrate the achievement by ringing bells, shaking rattles and banging gongs on September 20. Venerable

  • Kampot curfew imposed to curb ‘gang’ violence

    Kampot provincial police have announced measures to contain a recent spike in antisocial behaviour by “unruly’ youth. Officials say the province has been plagued by recent violence among so-called “gang members”, who often fight with weapons such as knives and machetes. Several social observers have

  • PM outlines plans to discuss trade, policy during US visit

    Prime Minister Hun Manet is set to meet with senior US officials and business leaders during his upcoming visit to the US for the UN General Assembly (UNGA), scheduled for September 20. While addressing nearly 20,000 workers in Kampong Speu province, Manet said he aims to affirm

  • Manet touches down in Beijing for high-level meetings

    Prime Minister Hun Manet arrived in Beijing on September 14 for his first official visit to China, where he is slated to attend the 20th China-ASEAN Expo and meet other leaders including Chinese President Xi Jinping. Upon his arrival, Manet laid a wreath at the Monument