Cambodia clamps down on press

The Cambodian authorities have proposed changes to the country's press law aimed at defining more clearly issues regarding press freedom and national security.

The changes, amending a 1995 law, come one day after the government closed six opposition newspapers on defamation charges.

The new law, a sub-decree which will not need parliamentary approval, will ban reporting of classified details on military operations, criticisms of the multi-party system and articles thought to undermine the national currency. The information minister Khieu Khanarith, said the new legislation would protect newspapers, though some analysts have expressed fear that the law would not be enforced against pro-government newspapers.

Cambodia has often come under criticism about press freedom.

From the newsroom of the BBC World Service