Official Statement
May 28, 2014, Phnom Penh
I think that by now, most of you know what happened to me as I was trying to cover an election rally on May 2. You’ve heard how six to ten security guards began chasing me as I was photographing the election march. It’s been well reported how they kicked me and hit me with batons in the head, face, hands and stomach and left me unconscious in the
street. It took three skilled surgeons in Bangkok to fix the damage they did to my face, but I will still carry the scars forever.
But today, I’d like to tell you something you may not know: I love being a journalist. I love investigating and reporting, digging up information and sharing it with the people.
I love it because I know my work, and the work of other dedicated media professionals, is making a real difference in Cambodia. I know this because I hear it in the conversations my reports spark on VOD radio and in the debates that are popping up on Facebook around VOD stories. Young Cambodians — my generation — finally feel free to express themselves, to talk about politics and other topics that used to be avoided. They want, and they deserve, a press that serves them with independent and unbiased information, because without that information, they cannot make the critical decisions that determine their country’s destiny.
And I am committed to continuing to provide that information to them as a VOD reporter. I understand the risks that come with reporting the truth. I have the scars to prove it. But I will not be intimidated. I will not be afraid. I will continue to report the truth, because I am a professional journalist and because I believe in a Cambodia that is better than the one I see today.
So I look forward to seeing all of you out in the field, at press conferences and at protests, as we strive together to give our fellow citizens the professional quality of news media that they deserve.
Thank you.
