With Beehive Station Owner Jailed, a School Goes Unbuilt

The parents of some 300 students in Kampong Cham province are calling for the release of jailed Beehive Radio owner Mam Sonando, who had been raising funds to build a school in their village before his arrest in July. Mam Sonando, 71, owns Beehive Radio, which broadcasts Voice of America programming, and is the head of a civic group called the Association of Democrats. He is widely considered innocent of charges related to fomenting a secessionist movement in Kratie province last year, charges that rights groups say came only after he publicly criticized Prime Minister Hun Sen. (Sok Khemera, VOA Khmer)