Kathleen O’Keefe: 1960-2014

Published on Dec 14, 2014 by Luke Hunt

To journalists working across Southeast Asia in the 1990s and 2000s, the name Kathleen O’Keefe was the stuff of legends.In 1992, the Medford native, along with her then-husband Michael Hayes, a Wellesley native, moved to war-ravaged Cambodia to launch one of the bravest free press publishing experiments in recent journalism history: Cambodia’s first, modern independent newspaper — The Phnom Penh Post.Read more from Dan Boylan in the Boston Herald..

John Holloway: 1943-2013

Published on Mar 18, 2013 by Luke Hunt

John Holloway, a former Australian ambassador who worked as a Cambodian government advisor for almost 20 years, died Tuesday at the age of 70 after a long battle with skin cancer and diabetes.In June 1995, Victorian MP Ken Aldred claimed in Parliament that Holloway was a paedophile. The then Secretary to of the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade Michael Costello told Fran Kelly in a media interview that police had investigated and said there was no evidence to support the allegation. Holloway was arrested in Cambodia and brought back to Australia to face charges, including for having sex with a 14-year-old boy. Holloway denied the charge. A magistrate dismissed child sex abuse charges against Holloway, calling the testimony of....

Dan White: 1965-2012

Published on Sep 25, 2012 by Luke Hunt

As a photographer and writer, Dan White could count Afghanistan, Cambodia and East Timor among the many conflicts he covered.The British journalist was always brave but often troubled by the brutalities he witnessed and at times endured first-hand. Nevertheless he stuck to his core values, denouncing all types of violence and emerging in recent years as one of the most affable men in Southeast Asian journalism. Dan, tragically, passed away on September 20, following a brain hemorrhage. He was 47.My initial encounters with Dan, well over a decade ago, were marked by humor and his ability to see the funny side of life even when confronted by deadly threats. His sense of the ridiculous often stood him in good stead.Read....

Reach Sambath: 1964-2011

Published on May 16, 2011 by Luke Hunt

As a war correspondent, Reach Sambath was among the bravest. Luke Hunt writes.Throughout the 1990s, Reach Sambath earned his stripes as the journalist ‘who got on the chopper first’ when Cambodia’s warring factions went into battle. Later on, he emerged alongside his most affable compatriots as his country began stitching together a peace. Sambath, sadly, passed away Wednesday after a massive stroke. He was 47 (we think).When I began as bureau chief for Agence France-Presse (AFP) in Cambodia on July 1, 2001, Sambath’s exploits had already lent him an air of superiority. With his great friend Ker Munthit at Associated Press, the pair had formed the formidable local backbone of the international press corps in Cambodia. They survived the Khmer....

Peter Mackler: 1949-2008

Published on Jun 22, 2008 by Luke Hunt

Tough Love & Cold Cans Of BeerFrom Luke HuntThe glint in Peter Mackler’s eye when he had his hands on a story destined for the front pages of the world’s newspapers was as marvelous as it was memorable.His bearded smile had all the cheek and gusto of a man in his prime, as he struggled to contain himself, for just a few minutes, long enough to hammer out the words faster than the competition.In Iraq during the 2003 invasion, he was in his element pretty much every day.For an outsider the race to cover firefights, massacres and the everyday bloodshed of Iraq might sound macabre.But what stood out amid the mayhem, absurdities and the sheer nastiness of conflict was Peter’s....