Overseas Press Club of Cambodia

23/01/2024

The OPCC elected a new board on Jan. 11 to serve for 2024, you can find out more details here:

https://opc-cambodia.org/blog/2024/01/23/opcc-elects-new-board-for-2024/

As always, those who have ideas or want to discuss potential collaborations with the OPCC should reach out to the board.

The Overseas Press Club of Cambodia (OPCC) elected a new board on Jan. 11, 2024 with many board members from 2023 returning for another year of serving the journalism community in Cambodia. Seven candidates ran for seven open positions on the board this year. Government crackdowns have had a chillin...

11/12/2023

https://opc-cambodia.org/blog/2023/12/11/statement-of-the-passing-of-john-mcbeth/

The OPCC was saddened to learn of John McBeth on December 7, 2023. Our deepest condolences to his family and friends.

New Zealand-born John McBeth, one of Asia’s pre-eminent journalists with a record of scrupulous and ground-breaking reporting, died on December 7 after a short illness. He was 79. Over a career spanning more than 62 years McBeth’s reporting helped shape events in countries including South Korea,...

01/09/2023

The OPCC is saddened by the Southeast Asia Globe's announcement and stands in solidarity with all its journalists and staff.

We hope this isn't the end of one of 's longest running independent publications and that what little free press that remains can continue their much-needed work.

Southeast Asia Globe announces the suspension of publishing, effective October 1, 2023.

18/07/2023

https://opc-cambodia.org/blog/2023/07/18/joint-statement-government-advances-censorship-of-critical-news-sites-in-the-lead-up-to-national-elections/

The OPCC joins Cambodian Center for Independent Media, CamboJA and the IFJ - International Federation of Journalists in expressing serious concerns over the Cambodian government's recent decision to block the websites of Radio Free Asia, The Cambodia Daily as well as the public database Kamnotra - កំណត់ត្រា. This decision, made just ahead of the national election on July 23, will have a negative impact on Cambodian's right to access information.

Phnom Penh, July 18, 2023– We, the undersigned institutions, express serious concern over the government’s decision to block critical media websites and a public database ahead of the national election as a serious violation of the people’s right to information. Last week, the Ministry of Info...

25/05/2023

13/02/2023

The OPCC, along with other media and civil society groups, have issued a statement on the government's revocation of VOD Khmer & VOD English's media license. This is a dark and disturbing day for and for press freedoms.

Phnom Penh, February 13, 2023 – We, the undersigned media and civil society organizations, are deeply disturbed by Prime Minister Hun Sen’s order to revoke the license of Voice of Democracy (VOD), one of the last remaining independent media outlets in Cambodia. We also condemn the recent sexual ...

02/02/2023

The OPCC is deeply saddened to learn of the sudden passing of Jose Rodriguez T. Señase. Jose was a friendly, diligent reporter and a long-standing supporter of the OPCC. He will be missed.

The OPCC is saddened to learn that Jose Rodriguez T. Señase, a long-serving journalist and member of the OPCC, passed away on Feb. 1, 2023 at the age of 41. Jose will be remembered by Cambodia’s journalist community as a smiling, friendly face - a frequent sight at OPCC events - and a hard-workin...

05/01/2023

The OPCC mourns the loss of legendary journalist Nate Thayer who passed away peacefully in his home aged 62. He leaves behind an exceptional body of reporting from Cambodia and beyond.

As soon as the United Nations put peacekeepers on the ground in Cambodia, journalists from around the world arrived en masse to track the country’s next formative decades. Among the few to distinguish themselves was Nate Thayer, who died this week at 62. Thayer arrived as a freelancer for the Far ...

22/12/2022

https://opc-cambodia.org/blog/2022/12/22/opcc-announces-new-board-for-2023/

The OPCC elected a new board for 2023
President: Gerry Flynn
Vice-president: Quinn Lisbon
Treasurer: Jack Brook
Secretary: Fiona Kelliher
Board members: Ananth Baliga, Erika Pineros & Roman Knertser

We look forward to supporting journalism in Cambodia for the coming year, feel free to reach out and find out more about how the OPCC can represent the journalism community.

After holding elections on Dec. 12, 2022, the Overseas Press Club of Cambodia (OPCC) is pleased to announce the new board that will serve Cambodia’s journalist community for the coming year. Former president and lifetime member Luke Hunt facilitated elections that saw eight candidates stand for se...

14/11/2022

STATEMENT: Three journalists’ groups are asking Cambodia's Information Ministry why journalists from news outlets VOD and VOA were denied access to a post-ASEAN summit press conference with Prime Minister Hun Sen, while dozens of other journalists were allowed in.

Phnom Penh, 14 November 2022 — We, the undersigned journalists’ organizations, are calling on the Ministry of Information to clarify why journalists from news outlets VOD and VOA were denied access to a government press conference with Prime Minister Hun Sen on Sunday, November 13, while dozens ...

02/11/2022

On International Day to End Impunity for Crimes Against Journalists, 32 organizations, including the OPCC, are calling on Cambodian authorities to prosecute crimes committed against journalists, and to stop committing them.

The government has long missed the deadline on bringing perpetrators of crimes against journalists to justice. This impunity must end.

Full statement:

Phnom Penh, 2 November 2022 — On this International Day to End Impunity for Crimes Against Journalists, we, the undersigned journalists’ groups and civil society organizations, call on Cambodian authorities to prosecute crimes committed against journalists, and to stop committing them. As the na...

11/10/2022

The Newsroom Cambodia mentorship program is back for OPCC members! The next deadline for a story pitch is Nov. 4.

Produce a feature with a Cambodian trainee reporter, with a competitive stipend to fund reporting expenses.

Details here:

[caption id=attachment_745 align=alignnone width=1600] Newsroom Cambodia trainee Klaing Kimhouy and OPCC mentors Marta Kasztelan and Cindy Liu (from left) on a reporting trip in January 2021.[/caption] In 2019, the Cambodian Center for Independent Media (CCIM) launched the Newsroom, a three-month jo...

03/10/2022

Learn more about the online scam compounds and human trafficking crimes making headlines from two top journalists covering the story for local and international media.

RSVP for this KAS journalism talk on Oct 6 in Phnom Penh, featuring two OPCC members, Cindy Liu and Huang Yan. Details at the link. https://www.kas.de/en/web/kambodscha/veranstaltungen/detail/-/content/journalists-perspectives-discovering-scam-compounds-in-cambodia

Cambodia has recently made headlines in major newspapers after it is being reported as a haven for the Chinese scam syndicates. They operate illegal cyber operations to scam millions of dollars from people globally with romance, cryptocurrency and many other online scams.

We invited two journalists who have been prominently reporting on online scams to share their perspectives on the issue and how it all comes to light.

Please register here: https://bit.ly/3LSjROn

24/08/2022

The OPCC wishes to extend our condolences to the family, friends and colleagues of photojournalist Tim Page, who died on Wednesday at his home in Australia. Page, a life member of the club since 2015, was known for his daring coverage of the war in Vietnam. May he rest in peace.

19/08/2022

The OPCC, along with 39 other groups, condemns the recent arbitrary detention, intimidation and violence against 5 VOD journalists and 4 Khmer Thavrak activists by officers from the Cambodian prime minister's bodyguard unit in Phnom Tamao forest.

Full statement: https://opc-cambodia.org/blog/2022/08/19/deplorable-use-of-violence-and-detention-of-journalists-activists-at-phnom-tamao/

Photo credit: A screenshot of a video posted by Khmer Thavrak on 16 August 2022 showing authorities in plain clothes detain activists from the social justice group, including Hun Vannak (fourth from left), and VOD journalists.

03/05/2022

On this World Press Freedom Day, the Overseas Press Club of Cambodia wishes to express our appreciation for journalists working in Cambodia to report news in the public interest. We call for the defense of press freedom and protection of all journalists to work safely and without fear.

28/03/2022

The Overseas Press Club of Cambodia (OPCC) condemns the recent harassment, intimidation and shoving of a foreign journalist while he was photographing a labor protest in Phnom Penh. The incident marks the fourth documented violation of press freedom in Cambodia that involved a foreign journalist covering NagaWorld union protests since December 2021.

Full statement:

March 28, 2022—The Overseas Press Club of Cambodia (OPCC) condemns the recent harassment, intimidation and shoving of a foreign journalist while he was photographing a labor protest in Phnom Penh. The incident marks the fourth documented violation of press freedom in Cambodia that involved a forei...

13/01/2022

ICYMI, check out this upcoming panel on “Covering Cambodia in the 90s and 00s”, featuring former OPCC president Michelle Vachon. Details below.

We are honored to have two veteran journalists, Mrs. Michelle Vachon and Mr. Pierre Gillette joining our "Journalism Talk" programme. They will discuss "Challenges and Opportunities" from their experience covering Cambodia in the early 90s and 00s.

Date: 25th January 2022
Venue: KAS Cambodia Office
Time: 6:00 - 8:30 PM
Register here: https://bit.ly/3K2MTcs (limited space)

16/12/2021

The Overseas Press Club of Cambodia (OPCC) is alarmed by reports of the death of Myanmar photojournalist Soe Naing in military custody. We condemn authorities’ use of violence and incarceration against journalists.

The OPCC stands in solidarity with our colleagues across the region. We call for an impartial investigation into Soe Naing’s death and justice for his family. We also call for the release of all journalists jailed in Myanmar for doing their jobs.