The Eagle, the Vultures, the Crocodile . . . and the Khmer people

The Eagle, the Vultures, the Crocodile . . . and the Khmer people

Ref: Cambodian government objects to American-backed radio content

Not news worthy enough for the Hun Sen regime? A young girl plays by an open stagnant sewer at one of the many growing slums in and outside of the capital Phnom Penh. The existence of and extreme social neglect endured by so many of the country's urban slum dwellers have been one of the unspoken motivations behind the on-going waves of violently forced mass evictions initiated by the Phnom Penh authorities in recent years, prominent among the targeted sites are Boeung Kak Lake which situates within full view of the Government's 'prestigious' Chinese funded and built Council of Ministers palace and Borei Keila settlement, which also locates in the heart of the capital, both of which are an eye sore and living sources of shame and embarrassment for a regime actively promoting itself - through its near monopoly of the mass media - as the party of "development"? The latest summons issued by the Phnom Penh regime to the two US funded radio stations demanding a change in focus from one of 'negative' to 'positive' on news coverage is perfectly in line and character with an orthodox, unreformed police-state mentality and Communist style governing without representation. But, at least the summons indicates that formal warning of some kind is necessary, that is, until that formality becomes redundant and the  issue of assassins becomes imperative. And when that happens it is not through any fault of the reporters themselves who risk their own precious lives and limbs to keep the public audience informed of the truth - whatever that truth entails - but it will be the hitherto self-evident reluctance [and de facto complicity even] on the part of their employers to grab the bull by the horns that will stand out like the filthy odour from those untreated sewers. The regime itself is in no doubt of this dubious stance taken by the US government [her public condemnations are never backed by any concrete or hurting punitive measures despite the fact that she has the power to do so if she would have possessed the political will and moral courage to that end] and hence the audacious summons against the ultimately expendable reporters. So the US Government hasn't changed much since 1975 then? Well, not a great deal in substance in my view - School of Vice.

The 'Pyramid' inside of the new Council of Ministers building maybe casting its expected ominous spell over the capital's poorest residents including those of Boeung Kak lake instead of its immediate privileged occupants? - School of Vice