Opinion: CNA, the voice of Thailand in Asia

Opinion: CNA, the voice of Thailand in Asia

Khmer Times | Every day at 7 p.m., I tune into the Singapore-based TV Channel News Asia (CNA). Since the Thai attack on May 28, in which a Cambodian soldier was killed, I have been appalled by the biased nature of the news broadcast on this media.

I know, from personal professional experience, that when a conflict arises between two states, it is always difficult to separate the truth from the propaganda of the parties involved. But it is precisely the duty of professional journalists to steer clear of propaganda. And this requires serious consideration of the points of view expressed by both sides. This is something that CNA does not do.

Since this conflict escalated, not once has CNA given a single opportunity to speak to a Cambodian government official, even though microphones and cameras have been abundantly offered to the Bangkok government. Not once has CNA explained Cambodia’s position, but it has provided ample information on the Thai explanations.

The images CNA broadcasts are images filmed in Thailand, the effect of which is to portray Thais as victims of aggression. Not a single recent image shows what is happening in Cambodia.

CNA’s ambition is to become the CNN of Asia. But when you compare the two news channels, you immediately see the vast difference in their focus on accurately reflecting different points of view.

If you listen to CNA, you ignore that following the Thai attack on May 28, the Cambodian government announced its intention to rely on the International Court of Justice’s decision to resolve a border issue that bilateral contacts have failed to resolve for 25 years.

If you listen to CNA, you ignore that, according to the map resulting from the treaties between Siam and France, then Cambodia’s protecting power, a border was determined and drawn on maps that Thailand accepted for over 50 years. This is the only official map whose validity was recognized by the International Court of Justice in 1962 and 2013.

If you listen to CNA, you ignore that according to the only official map, the border places the four sites claimed by Thailand on the Cambodian side.

If you listen to CAN, you ignore that Cambodia’s only military action is to protect the country’s territorial integrity. But you are also unaware that Thailand has never, since 1953, agreed to recognize Cambodia’s territorial integrity.

Although Thailand signed the Paris Agreement on Cambodia in 1991, which stipulates that signatory states must respect the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Cambodia, the Thai army continued to collaborate with the Khmer Rouge on Cambodian territory until 1998. And CNA viewers are also unaware of this.

It is a huge disappointment to me that CNA no longer deserves my trust or that of its listeners. We need a quality Asian news channel, like the Hong Kong based Far Eastern Economic Review, which unfortunately no longer exists.

It is regrettable that Singapore, owner of CNA, whose reputation for rigor, performance and quality has not created in the field of television news a press body worthy of the international dimension it claims to achieve.

Thomas Fowler is a political analyst based in Phnom Penh. The views expressed are his own