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Monks Find 2nd Calling: Social Media Political Correpsondents... http://ift.tt/2stZduS Facebook, news apps and political memes have allowed the monks and the country’s nascent political opposition to connect directly with Cambodians who have scant access to independent news media. “Facebook changed communication and politics, because whatever politicians did, we all knew,” Luon Sovath said. “Good or bad, we could know by Facebook. Previously, they just showed the good things on television. The violence against people, the land abuses, the forest clearances and the corruption they did not show on television.” The government of the ruling Cambodian People’s Party operates or has influence over all of the country’s television stations; the opposition Cambodia National Rescue Party has spent years trying to get a license to operate its own channel, without success. So those like Luon Sovath who wanted to bring greater transparency to Cambodia sought inexpensive and accessible ways to connect with people, many in poor villages, outside the government-controlled networks. “The Cambodian People’s Party has many television stations and facilities already, so we are helping people who d
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