Thank you to everyone who attended the Overseas Press Club of Cambodia’s annual general meeting on Sunday, December 2, and apologies to those who couldn’t make it because of the timing. We had a good turnout, elected a new board and started to plan our efforts for 2019. The OPCC will be organizing more public forums and social gatherings for the journalist community in Cambodia next year.
This year has been quite challenging for overseas media in Cambodia, with political crackdowns, a general election and many of our colleagues leaving the country. But, despite this, the OPCC has tried to remain relevant to our members throughout the year. We helped organize a large training session in Thailand that was attended by almost 20 freelance journalists, we assisted in a mentoring scheme for Cambodian journalists, and we spoke to numerous international organizations about the state of Cambodian politics and free-speech issues in the country. We also hosted several booze cruises and journalist meet-ups.
However, the OPCC is well aware that we can do much more for our members and the press community in Cambodia.
Next year, we will host far more social events for journalists and the media in Phnom Penh; organize regular round-table discussions, debates and lectures; and provide more assistance to journalists when it comes to visa-requirements and employment issues. We also want the OPCC to become far more inclusive and will be expanding our membership to as many overseas journalists as possible. To achieve these goals, on Sunday the OPCC elected a new board:
- President: David Hutt
- Vice-President: Enric Català Contreras
- Treasurer: Luke Hunt
- Secretary: Rob Starkweather
Regular Board Members:
- Jose Rodriguez T. Señase
- Ate Hoekstra
- Pete Ford
We also decided to increase the size of the board for next year, which will now include five regular board members. At present, we still have two regular board positions open. To fill these positions, please let us know if you want to join the board.
If you would like become a member of the OPCC and support our organization, as well as gaining membership benefits, please speak to someone on our board (names above) or email opccambodia@gmail.com. Membership is open to all overseas journalists and members of the media community in Cambodia (photographers, website designers, etc). The OPCC asks for a US$15 annual contribution from members, all of which goes towards our organization’s upkeep and hosting regular events. All OPCC board members are volunteers.
We look forward to an exciting 2019.
David Hutt
President of the OPCC
