Response by Ou Virak to Op-Ed Piece published on KI-Media on 21 September 2010

Ou Virak (Photo: Sovannara, RFI)

22 September 2010

Dear KI Media and readers

I am writing in response to the Op‐Ed piece by Khmer Young that was published on KI Media on 21 September 2010 “Government mouthpieces are magpies”. In his piece, Khmer Young described Radio French International (RFI) as pro‐government/Cambodian People’s Party and described how the tendency of the government is to dismiss constructive criticism as bias, uninformed and/or the work of opposition mouthpieces. I would like to thank Khmer Young for his piece and to respond to a number of issues he raises.

In my experience, I have found Radio France International to be fair and independent in its coverage of Cambodia. In view of the control exercised over the media by a small circle of government cronies, the work of organisations and agencies like RFI, Radio Free Asia, and Voice of Democracy is invaluable in ensuring that the Cambodian people are objectively informed of national and international affairs. A similarly essential role is played by news-blog websites, such as KI-Media, in ensuring that information that may be viewed as critical of the government is shared with Cambodia’s growing online community.