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Cambodia

VOA served as a lifeline to Cambodians

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VOA’s Khmer Service plays a critical role in reporting on elections in Cambodia, including the 2018 poll in which the ruling party suppressed meaningful opposition.

Through 65 years of reporting in Cambodia, including through three decades of war, Voice of America had become a trusted source of information in the country and one of the few ways Cambodians could get independent news, especially in Khmer, the country’s primary language.

VOA’s Khmer Service had built a weekly audience of 1.1 million people — 9.4% of Cambodian adults — and had top-viewed Facebook and X pages in the country. Khmer-speakers throughout the broader Southeast Asian region and the Cambodian diaspora worldwide relied on VOA for accurate, uncensored news and information.

Before President Donald Trump issued his March 14 executive order that effectively began dismantling VOA, the service was broadcasting 21.7 hours of audio and video reports each week. Now, it has gone dark. There are no more daily broadcasts and no new daily content on digital media.

Shuttering the service has damaged VOA’s role as a trusted, uncensored source of news in the region, and audiences have lost a credible source of information. The Khmer Service provided a unique combination of credibility, language-fluency and a network of trusted sources needed to explain complex issues, including national, regional and international developments. The service was also the only Khmer-language independent international broadcaster still reporting from inside Cambodia in 2025, operating a news bureau in Phnom Penh.

With VOA silenced, Cambodians face exposure to misinformation, conspiracy content and biased narratives. Consequently, false information has spread widely, distorting public understanding about, among other things, U.S. leadership and policy in Asia.

VOA Khmer articles published online per week

Publishing on VOA Khmer websites ceased following the president’s March executive order.

Khmer Language Service

According to the U.S. Advisory Commission on Public Diplomacy’s 2024 annual report:

“VOA Khmer is a 24/7/365 multimedia news operation reaching its audience in Cambodia by radio, TV, and internet, building on its foundation of reliability established by broadcasting through three decades of war. VOA Khmer maintains the top Facebook and X pages in Cambodia, as well as popular Instagram and YouTube channels. In July 2023, the service launched its Telegram channel, which has already attained a notable following in the country. In Cambodia, there is limited dissemination of news, so VOA programs serve Cambodians as a lifeline to the world in their native Khmer language.”

Source: 2024 Comprehensive Annual Report on Public Diplomacy and International Broadcasting

Cambodian military police officers use their cell phones to record a VOA interview.

Reporting in a country with little press freedom is challenging. Here, military police followed VOA journalists and used their cell phones to record them working in 2018, in an effort to intimidate both the journalists and their sources in Battambang province in northwestern Cambodia.

Voices from VOA

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Sophat Soeung

VOA Khmer senior editor

Originally from Cambodia and raised in East Berlin, Soeung grew up listening to VOA. For the past 15 years, he has been a trusted voice at VOA Khmer, providing independent news to Cambodians who have limited access to information beyond state-controlled media.

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Chenda Hong

VOA Khmer reporter

“In 2007, Kari Lake reported from Cambodia, saying its story mattered. Today, as acting CEO of USAGM, she has helped silence VOA Khmer — one of the last independent news outlets in the country.”

Voices supporting VOA

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Derek Mitchell

Former U.S. ambassador to Myanmar

“The Chinese are filling the space that we are leaving … [if we] retreat from the battlefield others see that China is playing, it makes China look strong and America look weak. And I think it hurts us.”

Former dictator cheers VOA’s closing

“[Closing VOA would be] a major contribution to eliminating fake news, disinformation, lies, distortions, incitement, and chaos around the world.”

— Former Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen

The former leader significantly curtailed free speech during his long rule, and Cambodian media outlets continue to face restrictions under the current government led by his son.

Contact your representatives

If you are a U.S. citizen and believe there is value in Voice of America — particularly if you have a personal story about listening to or watching VOA — please reach out to your representatives in Congress to encourage them to allow VOA to continue its vital mission of delivering truth to the world. We've simplified the process by creating a page to help you find their contact information and by creating a sample script of what to say.
Find out more

Press freedom situation, according to Reporters Without Borders (RSF)

SeriousGood

Source: 2025 RSF World Press Freedom Index

Cambodia

  • Ranking: 161 / 180 countries

Cambodia is a country of red lines, with reporting on corruption, environmental issues and political opposition all deemed sensitive. A journalist investigating illegal foresting was killed in December 2024. One of the few remaining independent Cambodian news sites, Voice of Democracy, was forced to shutter in 2023. A website set up in its place later closed after authorities blocked access to the site. The latest wave of crackdowns and harassment of media began ahead of the 2018 elections. Inside Cambodia, access to media is often through an outlet with links to the ruling family. Internet is a popular medium, and citizen journalists often use social media to report on issues such as illegal foresting. But authorities imposed a decree that, in effect, permits the government to monitor all communications and block sites.

Missed opportunities

Major stories VOA was unable to cover because of the effort to shut it down.

Trump’s October trip to Asia

The silencing of VOA caused its Khmer Service to miss a crucial opportunity to deliver reliable and balanced news to its audiences during Trump’s trip to Asia, including discussions on U.S. peace efforts between Cambodia and Thailand. The service would have delivered balanced reporting on the subject, particularly given the U.S. role in brokering a fragile truce and the growing criticism of ASEAN’s non-interference principle. The absence of VOA’s coverage created a vacuum that has been filled by less credible outlets — distorting public understanding of U.S. leadership and policy in Asia.

Global online scam networks

VOA’s Khmer Service was not able to continue its coverage of the massive transnational online scam operations that have defrauded Americans of more than $10 billion over the past several years, including operations based in Cambodia and neighboring countries. The absence of credible reporting has allowed misinformation and conspiracy theories to dominate public understanding of these crimes.

Cambodian delegation at the U.N. General Assembly

Silencing VOA meant its Khmer Service missed Cambodia’s participation and statements during the 2025 U.N. General Assembly, including its positions on key global and regional issues — particularly the border tensions with Thailand, which drew widespread regional attention amid rising Chinese influence over both countries. As a result, VOA’s audiences were left without credible insights into Cambodia’s diplomatic posture or foreign policy engagement. This void was quickly filled by improperly sourced and often inaccurate online content.

Cambodian–Thai border conflicts and US reaction

VOA’s Khmer Service was not able to cover renewed border tensions and military incidents along the Cambodian-Thai frontier. In the absence of balanced and fact-based reporting, the public turned to raw social media clips and partisan commentary, much of which lacked verification, context or informed analysis.

TV and radio from the Khmer service

Before VOA was largely silenced, VOA's Khmer Service was a 24/7 news operation, broadcasting 21.7 hours of audio and video reports each week in addition to posting stories on its website and its widely-viewed social media pages. Here is a glimpse at some of its programming:

A photo of the VOA Khmer staff.

At the time of the March 15 shutdown, VOA's Khmer Service employed 11 full-time employees, two contractors and a network of stringers.

Voices of support

“The departure of Voice of America also leaves a gaping vacuum in the information world that can only be filled by countries like China and Russia. And believe me, [Russian President] Vladimir Putin and [Chinese President] Xi Jinping aren’t going to give the world a clear picture of what’s going on in their countries, much less in the United States.”

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David Shear
Former U.S. ambassador to Vietnam

“When you silence the Voice of America, the rest of the world is going to get propaganda. And believe me, the Russians and the Chinese will be very happy to fill that gap.”

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Christine Todd Whitman
Former Republican governor of New Jersey

“Voice of America is a much cheaper way for the United States to influence and inform people around the world — cheaper than sending our military, even cheaper than setting up U.S. embassies around the world.”

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David Kramer
Former U.S. assistant secretary of state