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Cambodia Deports Chinese Journalist Over Vaccine for Sale Story

Sun Narin

   PHNOM PENH, CAMBODIA - The Cambodian governmenthasdeported a
   Chinesejournalistfor publishingwhat authorities deemed"fake news" about
   a purported schemeoffering COVID-19 vaccines for a "service fee."

   ShenKaidong, 52,the editor ofAngkor Todaysince 2015,was deported last
   week after posting aFebruary 23storyabout Chinese nationalsin
   Cambodiareceiving anonymous text messages offering a COVID-19 vaccine
   for $120.Angkor Today,previously named theAngkor Times,publishesnews
   stories on Facebook andWeChat, thepopular Chinese social media
   platform.

   Police arrested ShenKaidongFebruary 24 inSiemReap province,best known
   for the[1]Angkor Wattemple complex.

   ShenKaidong'sstory came at a time of increasedCambodian government
   sensitivity aboutthe efficacy of the Chinese-made Sinopharm COVID-19
   vaccine, which is currently beinggiven tofrontline workers.Aformer
   oppositionpartyofficial and a party supporter were arrested last week
   for posting commentsabout the Chinese vaccineon social media.

   Cambodian law enforcement officers and Health Ministry
   officialsdeniedtheAngkorTodayallegationsthat doses of the Sinopharmwere
   for sale but did notprovide any details of an investigation into the
   claim. Immigration officials used a new directive that allows the
   government to deport foreign nationals and ban their re-entry for
   spreading "fake news" about COVID-19.
   A shipment of 600,000 doses of COVID-19 vaccines donated by China
   arrives at the Phnom Penh International Airport, Feb. 15, 2021.

   Rights groups and press freedom advocates have been critical of the
   government'salacrityto use the Criminal Code against journalists and
   publications, rather than the Law on the Press,which
   allowspublicationsto issue correctionsiftheypublishinaccurate
   information.

   IthSothoeuth, media director at the Cambodian Center for Independent
   Media,called for "a thorough investigation into whether the vaccine is
   being sold or not."

   "This can provide justice to other journalists,"he said.

   Thegovernment announcement of ShenKaidong'sdeportationand bandid not
   provide any details as to whyhewas deported orwhetherclaims of his
   storywere investigated.

   KeoVanthan, a spokesperson forCambodia'sGeneral Department of
   Immigration, said ShenKaidongwas put on aonplanefor publishing fake
   news but did not provide any other details surrounding the case.

   "He published fake news and it caused social chaos," KeoVanthansaid.

   The Information Ministry revokedthe license forAngkor Todayon February
   25and the Health Ministry denied any vaccines were for sale in the
   country.

   "[2]We do not charge people money for COVID-19 vaccines,"said Or
   Vandine, a spokesperson for the Health Ministry, according to thePhnom
   Penh Post."All vaccinations are voluntary and do not cost anything."

   An English translation from[3]Angkor Today'sWeChat accountfound the
   initialarticle reportedthat several Chinese nationals received a text
   message promising them the Sinopharm COVID-19 vaccine for $120.The
   Chinese-language news outlet provided screenshots of these messages.

   Reporting on the offer, anAngkor Todayreportercalleda phone number
   listed in the texts andthe person who answered saidthe $120 was not for
   the vaccine but for a shuttle service to Phnom Penh, where the vaccine
   was available.

   The story posted on [4]Facebooksaysthat once avaccineappointment is
   set, "a car will be sent to pick up the person. The vaccination time is
   around the 30th of this month."

   Even though there are only 28 days in
   February,thephoneintervieweequoted in

   ShenKaidong'sstorydid say"the30th of this month."

   The story also includes comments from Chinese nationals questioning the
   scheme as a potential scam. The story ends by promising additional
   reports on the text messages.

   The Chinese Embassy in Phnom Penhon February 24[5]issueda statement on
   WeChat, according to theAngkor Today acknowledgingthat some Chinese
   nationalshadreceived a text promising the COVID-19 vaccine for"a
   service fee" of$120, adding that it had seen reports of other social
   media postsoffering the vaccine foras much as $450.

   TheChineseembassy reminded its citizens that the vaccine was not for
   sale, cautioned them about scams, and saidto follow Cambodian
   government procedures for getting the vaccine.

   Kim Santepheap, a secretary of state at the Justice Ministrywhospoke at
   aFebruary 19press conference announcing the "fake news" deportation
   directive, saidpublishing or sharing of "fake news" about the pandemic
   could also carry a criminal charge.

   Cambodia hasjailed dozens of people since the start of the COVID-19
   pandemicforcritiquing the government's response to the outbreak. Last
   year, at least two dozen people linked to the dissolved Cambodia
   National Rescue Party(CNRP)were arrested, detained or imprisoned for
   posting critical comments on Facebook, talking about the pandemic.

References

   1. https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/668/
   2. https://www.phnompenhpost.com/national/chinese-news-outlet-owner-deported
   3. https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/OyTA-C342eUPAiYr9c3-LA
   4. https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/K097jz-67cJFsqZDEGRkFA?fbclid=IwAR3tKvYvXnbvxJAhcfl38HyynHIbzCZnLjZ1aHQ6B8J8rj0qRdfkTHuWfKA
   5. https://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&sl=zh-CN&u=http://www.sohu.com/a/453196195_120437642&prev=search&pto=aue