Freedom of information supporters in Cambodia have redrafted a proposal for the country’s first FOI law and hope for parliamentary consideration.
The latest draft access to information law was drafted by the opposition party after the ruling party in late 2010 said the first version was too weak and full of mistakes, according to a person familiar with the situation.
The latest draft “marks a positive step towards the comprehensive protection of the right to freedom of information in Cambodia,” commented the London-based human rights group Article 19 which collaborated on the analysis (English and Khmer) with the Advocacy and Policy Institute (API) in Cambodia.
The group said the draft has a number of provisions “offering the region a fine model of how Right to Information (RTI) legislation can be effectively formulated: a public interest test, for example, and provisions on proactive disclosure and the protection of whistleblowers.”
Also applauded was the inclusion of an independent oversight body and an Information Disclosure Tribunal.
Article 19 offered some minor suggestions for improving the law.
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