A Change of Guard

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Thursday 1 October 2015

Don’t Worry, Gov’t Tells Net Users

Don’t Worry, Gov’t Tells Net Users

Khmer Times/Pav Suy
Tuesday, 29 September 2015


PHNOM PENH (Khmer Times) – The government yesterday moved to reassure Internet users and NGOs fearful of a censorship crackdown after plans to implement new controls to combat cybercrime and the abuse of social media.

A draft sub-decree announced last month gives the Interior Ministry’s new Anti-cybercrime Department powers to deal with abuse, but there are no plans to block sites.

Under the draft, the Anti-cybercrime Department, according to the sub-decree, will be mandated to monitor mail, phone calls and faxes, searching for “irregularities relating to national security.”

“The Internet environment in Cambodia is more favorable because there is no restriction to any website. You can even access porn sites here,” Sun Rapid, Director of R&D Center at the Ministry of Telecommunications, said at a gathering of NGOs and government officials to discuss Internet freedom.

He said Cambodia ranks third in the region for Internet access, after Singapore and Malaysia.

There have been a series of arrests recently over material posted on the Internet, most notably an opposition senator for posting what is allegedly a doctored border treaty as part of a campaign against the government over border demarcation talks with Vietnam.

But officials and some NGOs say the atmosphere here is still relatively free.

“Overall, the Internet freedom in Cambodia is more open. There is no blocking or censorship of any websites or applications,” Cambodia Community Legal Education Center (CLEC) information communication and technology project coordinator Ngeth Moses said.

“According to my research, among the 25 most viewed websites, there are two popular pornography sites,” he said.

However, the Cambodia Center for Human Rights said it was concerned about the arrest of people over their social media use, including a university student who called for a “color revolution” to encourage political change.

Bouth Chi, Interior Ministry’s Good Governance Manager, said the government did not have the resources to monitor every email, posting or online calls. He said the government would only act when a formal complaint had been lodged.

“We used to not care about online security when the Internet and other applications were very rare. As the Internet is prevalent and crimes have increased we need to have a law to deal with them.”

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