P PROVISIONS allowing journalists to be jailed have been left in the draft press

law by a National Assembly committee which has been considering the

matter.

The committee decided only to put the law's penal provisions in

bold type in the official copy of the law, to draw them to the attention of MPs

when it goes before the assembly for discussion by MPs.

The

International Affairs and Information Committee had proposed to recommend the

provisions be deleted from the law, according to an informed source, but did not

because of strong objections from one Cambodian People's Party member.

King Norodom Sihanouk and First Prime Minister and Funcinpec leader

Prince Norodom Ranariddh are among those who have supported the removal of the

provisions.

Political observers are awaiting the final position of Second

Prime Minister and CPP leader Hun Sen, who they say may well hold the key to

what happens with the law.

The law is due to be brought up for debate at

the assembly's next session, scheduled for April 7, according to Vice-Speaker

Loy Sim Chheang.

Chheang indicated he was not expecting a lengthy debate

over the bill, saying "it won't take us much time to pass it even if we have to

debate it article by article".