File photo: Tourism minister Huot Hak poses with Miss Grand International contestants on October 6
The Thai and Cambodian journalists' associations have issued a joint statement expressing their deep concern over Miss Grand International’s cancellation of Miss Grand Cambodia as co-host of the beauty contest.
MGI has moved the entire schedule to Bangkok despite an agreement for Cambodia to host half of the program.
The Thai Journalists Association (TJA) and the Club of Cambodian Journalists (CCJ) noted that media outlets in both countries, particularly on social media, reported on the incident on October 8, causing the news to go viral.
“The TJA and the CCJ are highly concerned about the incident. We are worried that this unexpected situation may escalate into a wider conflict.”
To find a solution, both organizations held a virtual meeting on October 10 to exchange information about the incident.
They agreed that both private companies should resolve their disputes as quickly as possible to prevent the situation from worsening. They also called on the media in both countries to report on the event with greater care.
“Media outlets should not exploit the conflicts between the two private companies or use social media content about the event for their own gain,” the statement read.
Social media users are encouraged to exercise discretion when receiving information about the disputes between the two companies and to consider the consequences before sharing information on their personal channels.
Both media organizations sincerely hope that the ongoing disputes between the two firms will be resolved as quickly as possible to mitigate the risk of unexpected situations that could negatively impact the long-standing relationship between the two countries.
