Press freedom

CAMBODIA dropped by double digits in a global index measuring press freedom released yesterday by Reporters Without Borders.

The report ranked Cambodia 128th out of 178 countries surveyed, down 11 places from the 2009 report. Council of Ministers spokesman Phay Siphan said he doubted RWB’s methods because they “wouldn’t know why someone had been jailed”.

On Tuesday, the Appeal Court heard the case of Ros Sokhet, a journalist jailed for disinformation in connection with text messages he sent to a prominent news anchor. In June 2009, editor Hang Chakra was sentenced to one year in prison after publishing allegations of corruption within the cabinet of Deputy Prime Minister Sok An.