Information Minister Appeals to Print Media Owners to Help Their Resellers

By Soy Sophea

Cambodian Information Minister Khieu Kanharith on March 11, urged all presidents of media associations in the kingdom to find a workable method to help news vendors.
In a statement following discussions with news merchants, the Information Minister said that Hok Bunnath, Chairwoman of the Newspaper Resellers Association asked for his
intervention to encourage publishers to help news vendors make more profit. He added that the profit vendors earned was not much.

Pen Samithy, Editor-in-Chief of a Khmer language newspaper, said that his publication could not cut prices. According to him, news publishers are also facing difficulties as a result of inflation. He added that in his opinion, the solution lay in increasing the price of newsprint to around 1000 riel per copy. Beyond this advice, he was unable to help them.

Samithy, who is also the President of the Club of Cambodian Journalists, said that increasing the price meant that he could share profits with the vendors, but he could not say when the increase would be made.

“We need to talk to other newspaper owners to make sure we are all reading from the same page,” he said.

A 45-year-old Ty Sodany started her career selling newspapers and magazines in 1993. She said she could make about 100 riel per newspaper sold at 700 riel and 500 riel per copy from local magazine sales.

Sodany, whose newsstand is located next to Wat Lanka near the Independence Monument, added that, copy from local magazine sales. Sodany, whose newsstand is located next to Wat Lanka near the Independence Monument, added that, profit we make and the ever rising prices.” She was therefore eager to agree with Pen Samithy’s idea to increase the price of newsprint.

Soy Sopheap, another newspaper publisher agreed with the vendors. He suggested that the leading daily newspapers which get more income from advertisement should be the first to consider to the vendors’ welfare.