Meet on freedom of information law as due date nears
Representatives of around 20 civil society organisations will meet on September 16 to discuss key chapters of Cambodia’s long-gestating freedom of information law, which is meant to be completed by late December. “We’ll discuss mechanisms to submit complaints if people don’t receive the requested information,” said Phan Barmey, senior program manager at the Advocacy and Policy Institute. The law has been in the works since 2007, but didn’t pick up steam until UNESCO established a memorandum of understanding with the government in the wake of the 2013 elections. UNESCO earmarked a three-year time period for the law’s completion. Currently, a committee of officials from the Ministry of Information, the Ministry of Justice, UNESCO and a handful of CSOs meet monthly to discuss and review the draft law.
