Selected Comments Samdech Moha Bovor Thipadei Hun Manet, in the meeting to review the work results for 2023 and work directions for 2024 of the Ministry of Information [Unofficial Translation]

CMF:

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(1) Support measures to adjust and strengthen the internal structure and human resources

I would like to support the Ministry of Information’s practical measures to revise the internal structure, to strengthen human resources and to organize the use of existing human resources, while allocating and building capacity of existing resources or using the existing resource to the fullest extent possible […] we cannot turn from analog devices into digital if we do not have the structure to implement, plan, direct, implement, use the new system, or to have no legal standards to manage it, and do not have the human resources to use and guide effectively to benefit from modern equipment and technology […]

(2) Incentive system adjustment critical in human resource management and encouraging reform

Adjusting the incentive system is important in organizing human resources, and the motivation in our reform consolidation in the seventh mandate that is people-centered. Strengthening the health capacity, knowledge of our human resources from the bottom up. In ministries and institutions, people are the key, civil servants are the key in recruiting, organizing, assigning, and training to increase efficiency. We set goals as many as performance indicators needed that the Ministry has to do, but must first see for ourselves whether their health is strong or not? […]

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(3) The right to receive information on society and daily life from all means

The press is the fourth power. This power, if used properly, is very important for the development of our nation, for maintaining peace and stability, to provide energy to our people, and the Royal Government can make decisions as well as put in place effective measures […]

Firstly, our people have the right to access information related to society and their daily lives from all means. We see that modern technology has decentralized the collection and provision of information. We now have over 2,000 press media units […]

Secondly, the Royal Government at the national and sub-national levels also needs accurate, timely, and comprehensive information in order to put in place timely and targeted measures and solutions effectively. In these 5 months, […] (the 7th legislative term) government is now 5 months and 1 day old, I have solved many problems through the information I accessed on social media. I solved those problems by sending them to the relevant sub-national authority to take immediate actions […]

(4) Accurate, fast and comprehensive information speeds up the solution and helps prevent small issue from becoming big

(Accurate and fast coverage information) is a very big means. In the past, some ministries and institutions and sub-national authorities have used this measure to capture information. I urge the provincial governors, the provincial capitals, as well as the heads of all institutions to use those measures, especially those that are relevant in their jurisdiction, to manage all the work, because sometimes, waiting for the report from below takes a long time, or the information that passed through administrative procedures are long gone. Things that are small become big. But if we empower the provincial governor, the head of the relevant institutions, with the information, (we will be) able to put out the fire […]

(5) Use digital system to receive information and to solve problems effectively to serve the people

In the digital age, we not only use digital means to receive information. We also use digital systems to both receive information and solve problems […] I would like to thank you for being able to participate in problem solving to ensure the effective leadership of the people at all levels of the Royal Government […]

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(6) Professional ethics establishes and maintains professional values

The professional ethics of the press and journalists is very important. Why do we develop professional ethics? It is to create and maintain the value of the profession. Whether you are a doctor, a journalist, or an engineer, you all need ethical codes […] so as to understand the scope of your freedoms and responsibilities, and not to infringe on the rights, freedoms, dignity of others or stability or social security. With the established information ethics, people working in information are key operator in this field. All this work needs to be taken care of by the media outlets and the journalists themselves […]

(7) Journalists must value journalism, execute ethics to become the fourth source of power

I once mentioned a few years ago that the critical starting point is when the journalist himself loves his press career, loves the profession and values of his journalism career. How to value that? We can value that through our ethical practices and professional responsibilities so that we become a source of executive power of the fourth power that all citizens can trust. If the media and journalists follow the free style practices, then all value is lost […]

(8) Do not help hide information and do not create fake information

Our press means has grown tremendously. We have a great number of our journalists. At the moment, according to the data, there are nearly 10,000 registered and unregistered media personnel, most of whom have done a great job. Most of them acted in accordance with the code of ethics, but at the same time there were a small number of cases. Firstly, if you know the issue but you help hide the information, it is equal to you act in collusion, should the issue be true. Secondly, if you create fake information and use the fake information to oppress concerned parties, it is even more illegal. Only we, especially journalists, work together to preserve the common values of the media and journalists […]

(9) Promotion of alcohol beyond acceptable standard prohibited

I think the media can also be involved in educating people about the effects of drug and alcohol abuse. The day before, I ordered from outside (Paris), to HE Neth Pheaktra, to immediately call a TV to turn off and remove its alcohol advertisement immediately […] we need to see as to what kind of advertisement goes beyond the boundaries, especially the television broadcasts of popular concerts that tens of thousands of people watch. I put this order in place while in France […] the media has to think about the content and image to be published and/or broadcast […]

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(10) Code of ethics to protect journalists who act in accordance with the law

I render support to the five strategic directions of the Ministry (of Information) […] related to institutional modernization, strengthening technical standards, developing human resource, setting up information systems and mechanisms to manage the information space with the correct and legal standards, and enhancing effective and inclusive partnerships […] A democracy is valid, resilient and sustainable is based on the rule of law. Democracy without laws is called anarchy. In English, I used to say, the democracy that has no law is democrazy […]

Why do we issue a law? It is not to block the rights of journalists. Instead, it is to protect journalists. To protect journalists who act in accordance with the law, and protect their values. Should they run into problem, they have the legal protection, if they follow the code of ethics and the law […] the law is not to block […], but to protect the rights and freedoms (both) of journalists and the people. (Establishing) a law is to make the information system responsible and to make journalists responsible […]

(11) Use AI responsibly to provide new energy, new efficiency, new productivity

AI has evolved […] in the past, they only used fake sound. Now they make an image that speaks. They make information out of it right away. This is a great danger for our nation and for the universe. AI, however, is not all bad. AI will give new energy, new efficiency, new productivity to our works. We cannot ban it as we cannot ban the Internet, and other social media like Facebook, etc. We must find a way to use it effectively and responsibly […]

(12) Continue to provide legal support to journalists who follow the code of ethics

In the past, the rights and freedoms of journalists have been taken seriously […] Samdech Techo also had his lawyers to protect journalists. We will continue to look at the framework of providing protection of rights and motivating their jobs. However, we do not protect the corrupt. We will protect those who follow the code of ethics, who use their fourth power to help the society, not to pollute the society, and the Royal Government will continue to pay attention to all this […] the Royal Government does not take journalists as enemy. We are partners. This country is where we live together. Not only the people or the journalists, even the head of the Royal Government needs accurate and immediate information […]

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(13) The Information Office acts as an information assistant, doing the information and public coordination job and is proactive

Please use the (provincial) Information Office as the information assistant of the Ministry of Information, […] and should not only act as a collector and distributor of information, but a proactive information and public coordination conductor, […] we should not wait for an issue to explode to extinguish it […] the important mechanisms is the information and public coordination and working in proactive manner […] we set up a National Committee for Information and Public Coordination (NPCC) at the national, ministerial and provincial levels […] provinces have done a lot of works but the biggest problem was that we did not publish much (of what we did). If it is published, it is mostly called raw news broadcast. Negative information, with the repackaging skills, they attract people. Positive information, very often, we do not know much about repackaging it […]

(14) Information work should be a priority for use of decentralized budgets

[…] We have a five-year opportunity to gather information and solve problems for the people […] not only at the national level, the Ministry of Information and the Ministry of Interior and the National Committee for Information and Public Coordination (NPCC), but also the ministries, national institutions, sub-national administrations […] with the Office of Information encouraged to carry out this work. We have decentralized the budget a lot […] and should prioritize on this information work among other priorities […]

(15) Review the structure, rights and training, and provide ability for the Office of Information to work actively

[…] Provinces and Information Offices are responsible for disseminating achievements in all areas of all provincial departments. The spokesperson helps to spread the word, to show the people, to encourage all institutions to gain recognition from the people […] I hope that there will be visits to review the structure, the granting of rights and the training assistance for each information office to work actively and to have the ability to do this job […]

(16) Interior to consider indicators for contest on general achievements and the work of information and public coordination among provinces

[…] Each province should take part in a contest. For the time to come, maybe the Ministry of Interior will have to think a little bit about preparing some indicators for the competition/contest for each province on the works in general, and the work of NPCC (at the provincial level) included. If you do a lot, but you talk less, it is a better thing still that doing more, but do not talk at all. From those who attack us, they do nothing, but they talk a lot […]./.

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