Cambodge Soir01-09-2008
The independent radio station, Voice of Democracy, loses an important financial support. However, this bad news shouldn’t compromise its functioning.
The International Republican Institute (IRI) stopped financing VOD. This news dates from Saturday 30th of August and is important as the IRI was giving the independent radio station 300,000 dollars a year, which almost amounts to its total year budget of 350,000 dollars. The VOD director assures however that this withdrawal won’t mean the end of the station, or the dismissal of its 34 employees. “We’ll continue to broadcast the normal programs. We have other sponsors who are taking over”, explains Pa Nguon Teang. The man in charge refuses however to reveal the identity of his partners and also remains discrete concerning the reason of the IRI’s decision, after a 5-year collaboration with VOD. Um Sarin, president of the Cambodian Association for the Protection of Journalists, regrets this withdrawal: “VOD is a quality radio station. The media are the eyes of democracy. The disengagement of the IRI thus means a setback as far as this is concerned”. Voice of Democracy broadcasts on five frequencies: 105 FM in Phnom Penh, 90.25 FM in Battambang and Oddor Meanchey, 95.5 FM in Siem Reap and 88.5 FM in Kampong Thom.
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