Cambodia's government forces the closure of The Cambodia Daily with a disputed multimillion-dollar tax bill
Cambodia's tax authority presented the independent, English-language Cambodia Daily with a $6.3 million bill the paper called arbitrary and undocumented, forcing the 24-year-old newspaper to close rather than pay, amid a wider campaign against independent media before 2018 elections.1234
- Country
- Cambodia (RSF 2026 rank: 151st of 180)
- Where
- KH
- Level of government
- National
- Tactics
- Licensing and closure of outlets, Funding and ownership pressure
- Stage
- Silence (see the ladder)
- Head of government at the time
- Hun Sen
- Issue of the day
- Preparations for Cambodia's 2018 general election and a wider government campaign against independent media and civil-society groups seen as sympathetic to the opposition.
- Outcome
- Sustained, September 4, 2017. The Cambodia Daily did not reopen; its closure coincided with a wider campaign against independent outlets and civil-society groups ahead of Cambodia's 2018 election.
- Era
- The 2010s
What happened
The Cambodia Daily, an independent English-language newspaper covering Cambodian politics and human rights since 1993, was presented by the tax authority with a $6.3 million bill covering several years of alleged unpaid taxes. The paper said the figure was "arbitrary" and not based on any audit of its books, and Prime Minister Hun Sen, in a speech, called the paper's owners "thieves" and said, of their response, "When they didn't pay and we asked them to leave the country, they said we are a dictatorship." Unable to pay or successfully dispute the bill by the government's deadline, the paper published its final edition on September 4, 2017, headlined "Descent Into Outright Dictatorship," and closed after 24 years. Human Rights Watch's Phil Robertson called the closure "one of the gravest threats to freedom of the press in Cambodia since the 1991 Paris Peace Accords." The closure came amid a wider campaign against independent media and civil-society groups ahead of Cambodia's 2018 elections, which Hun Sen's party went on to win after the main opposition party was dissolved by court order.1234
What reason was given
The tax department presented the $6.3 million bill as owed back taxes; the newspaper said the figure was "arbitrary" and not based on an audit, and Prime Minister Hun Sen said of the dispute, "When they didn't pay and we asked them to leave the country, they said we are a dictatorship."3
What changed for reporting
An independent newspaper that had covered Cambodian politics and rights issues for 24 years closed rather than pay a bill it could not verify; Human Rights Watch called it "one of the gravest threats to freedom of the press in Cambodia since the 1991 Paris Peace Accords."24
Timeline
2017
Who acted
| Name | Role in this incident | Office at the time |
|---|---|---|
| Hun Sen | ordered | Prime Minister of Cambodia |
Outlets and journalists
| Name | Kind | Relation |
|---|---|---|
| The Cambodia Daily | outlet | affected |
Sources
- Cambodia Daily to close after tax fight with government
- The Cambodia Daily Newspaper Closes Over Disputed Tax Bill
Claims cited
- The paper's final edition said the government had destroyed it through the power to tax.
The power to tax is the power to destroy. And after 24 years, one month and 15 days, the Cambodian government has destroyed The Cambodia Daily
Cambodia Daily to close after tax fight with government, Al Jazeera, 2017-09-03. Claim 289, checked 2026-09-22. - The paper's editor called the closure a dark day for Cambodian press freedom.
It's a dark day for press freedom in Cambodia
Cambodia Daily to close after tax fight with government, Al Jazeera, 2017-09-03. Claim 290, checked 2026-09-22. - Hun Sen said the paper's owners called the government a dictatorship after being asked to pay or leave.
When they didn't pay and we asked them to leave the country, they said we are a dictatorship
The Cambodia Daily Newspaper Closes Over Disputed Tax Bill, NBC News, 2017-09-04. Claim 291, checked 2026-09-22. - Human Rights Watch called the closure one of the gravest threats to Cambodian press freedom since 1991.
The government's targeting of the highly regarded Cambodia Daily is one of the gravest threats to freedom of the press in Cambodia since the 1991 Paris Peace Accords
The Cambodia Daily Newspaper Closes Over Disputed Tax Bill, NBC News, 2017-09-04. Claim 292, checked 2026-09-22.