Thai Newspaper Responds to Official’s Allegations of Bias

Thai Newspaper Responds to Official’s Allegations of Bias

The Cambodia Daily - September 17, 2013 

Bangkok-based newspaper The Nation has denied comments made by the spokesman of Cambodia’s Foreign Affairs Ministry that the publication was biased and received cash to criticize Prime Minister Hun Sen.

In an opinion piece published last week, The Nation said that Mr. Hun Sen’s political career could come to an end if violence broke out in the aftermath of the July 28 vote.

Foreign Affairs spokesman Koy Kuong reacted strongly in a letter to the newspaper, stating that the opinion article was “full of lies and manipulations.” The letter ran in full inside The Nation on Sunday.

Responding to Mr. Kuong on Monday, The Nation published an editor’s note defending its article.

“No leader in this region and other regions escapes media criticism. Cambodian Prime Minster Hun Sen is not exempt and his moves and political activities have been consistently reported since he surfaced as a public figure in this region three decades ago,” The Nation wrote.

The Nation also said in its note that it was an independent newspaper, which has never been paid by any party to criticize Mr. Hun Sen in its more than 40-years of existence.

“We reserve the right to praise [Mr. Hun Sen] when he does well and to criticize him when he does wrong,” the note states.

“Our articles are based on documented information and we have never made groundless or fabricated allegations against [Mr. Hun Sen],” The Nation added.

Mr. Kuong’s criticism of The Nation also concentrated on a section of the opinion article that said Mr. Hun Sen has “a record of using force to crack down on opposing voices.”

“The Nation has simply made a sweeping statement without facts and evidence to support its completely fallacious argument,” Mr. Kuong wrote.

“I would strongly urge The Nation to stop once and for all engaging in the dirty politics of demonization of Samdech Techo Hun Sen and Cambodia. I wonder if you have been paid to be a strong critic of him and Cambodia,” he wrote.