OPCC Takes the Helm

Published on Jun 29, 2014 by Luke Hunt

Written by Luke Hunt for The Phnom Penh Post.The FCC had a legendary name by the time I arrived as bureau chief for Agence France-Presse in 2001, but it was in name only. Journalist numbers had dwindled, and a chorus of reporters complained it was no longer a real club.Indochina Assets had seized control, the names and contents on the premises, amid one spurious claim that permission had been granted by the board. FCCs exist in Hong Kong, Thailand, Japan and South Korea alongside like-minded groups around the world, all non-profit with elected boards and paid-up memberships.Our FCC had none of this and had morphed into a theme bar for tourists arriving by coach.The constitution was changed. The FCC no....

Malaysian Press Selective in Reporting Obama’s Remarks

Published on May 1, 2014 by Luke Hunt

Speaking at a joint press conference in Kuala Lumpur, United States President Barack Obama made  all the right moves, speaking openly about issues ranging from the fate of Malaysian Airlines flight MH370 to trade, regional security and hostility against non-Muslims.Read more from Luke Hunt in The Diplomat. .

SOPA Gold Prize Best Feature

Published on Apr 16, 2014 by Luke Hunt

The Society of Publishers in Asia (SOPA) Gold Prize Best Feature was awarded to Australian journalists Luke Hunt and Shane Worrell and the Austrian journalist Denise Hruby for a series of articles about human trafficking published by the Edge Review..

A Good Lord Returns

Published on Mar 7, 2014 by Luke Hunt

Three decades after the release of his movie The Killing Fields, producer David Puttnam returned to a much different Cambodia, where he was feted by local filmmakers and a contingent of foreign diplomats and academics for a seminal work that redefined genocide in the public conscience.This column was written by Luke Hunt for The Diplomat.Among the more amazing aspects associated with the legacy of the movie, Puttnam said, was how the title had become synonymous with genocides around the world – although there were earlier indications that the film would leave its mark.Shortly before its release in 1984, a special screening was organized for the families of Dith Pran, who worked with Sydney Schanberg at The New York Times and....

Vietnam Worse Than Syria in Jailing Reporters

Published on Jan 24, 2014 by Luke Hunt

Vietnam has made the top 10 list of countries that jail reporters for simply doing their job. According to the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) Vietnam came in at fifth spot and along with Thailand was one of the two nations from Southeast Asia to make the list in 2013.Read more from Luke Hunt in The Diplomat..