In an incident condemned by a Cambodian journalists’ organisation, a reporter said he received a death threat for posting the photo of a drug raid suspect on Facebook on Sunday.
Taing Ho, a Siem Reap-based reporter for Apsara News Network, said a man he believed to be a relative of the suspect began insulting him on the social media site after he posted a photo of military police cracking down on alleged drug traffickers.
After Ho filed a court complaint the next day, the reporter said he received a menacing phone call from an unknown number.
“[The caller] told me to be careful in my untruthful news coverage, and that he may kill me if I did the same thing again.”
Ho said he filed a complaint based on the threat as well, adding that he has moved to a relative’s house for his own safety.
The Club of Cambodian Journalists condemned the incident in a letter released yesterday, saying it “seriously affects the freedom and security of Cambodian journalists”.
According to Pa Nguon Teang, executive director of the Cambodian Center for Independent Media, Cambodia is still a “risky place for journalists”.
“The big risk is that because there is no enforcement of the rule of law, and no practice of the rule of law, [threats] can easily happen.”
