AKP, August 01, 2017 –Cambodian Prime Minister Samdech Akka Moha Sena Padei Techo Hun Sen has expressed his strong reaction against a CNN’s news report on child exploitation in Cambodia and called on the U.S. Embassy to investigate the case.
Addressing to a graduation ceremony of the Royal University of Law and Economics held here this morning, Samdech Techo Hun Sen said that the CNN’s reportage, which quoted an NGO as saying that Cambodian girls were sold for sex by their mothers, has bad intention on Cambodia.
“It’s unacceptable. This is a fake news. The U.S. Embassy has to investigate this case. Don’t Use Khmers (Cambodians) as a base to raise fund for NGOs’ operation,” he underlined.
The Cambodian premier also ordered his competent authorities, especially the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation and the Ministry of Interior to take immediate legal action against that NGO without tolerance.
Last month, CNN, a U.S. based television, broadcasted a news coverage on child exploitation with the headline “Life after trafficking: The Cambodian girls sold for sex by their mothers”. This story quoted officials of Agape International Mission (AIM), a NGO is working in this field.
After this story was broadcasted, the Union of Journalist Federations of Cambodia (UJFC) released a statement against this news report. “That documentary is riddled with many errors and misrepresentations which could lead to damage of Cambodia’s global reputation as a gender sensitive nation, a destination of responsible tourism and a culture of readily smiling people,” it said.
The sex trade survivor and her mother portrayed in the documentary are not Cambodians, but Vietnamese, continued UJFC, stressing that CNN’s reporters have little knowledge about the reality of sex slavery in Cambodia. “They were badly informed by the co-founding husband and wife Don and Bridget Brewsters of AIM who exploit the media to do fundraising to support a one-flat office in Cambodia. In this case, Cambodians call it ‘burning a house to boil an egg.’ Such fundraising of a tiny AIM costs Cambodian international image,” added UJFC.
By Khan Sophirom
