Between January 1998 and January 2000, I returned to Cambodia often.

The following reports reflect these travels.

On April 15, 1998 one of the most chilling and bloody chapters of the twentieth century was symbolically brought to an end with the announcement that the Cambodian dictator Pol Pot had died in far Western Cambodia. Transcript of my reports on death of Pol Pot will be posted here soon.
 

Jim Laurie looks back on coups and violent Cambodia history posted July 25, 1998.
Transcript of ABC News report will be posted soon

Jim Laurie reports on Cambodia's most infamous prison - April 2, 1999.
A report on the Tuol Sleng Prison in Phnom Penh coming soon.

The Khmer Rouge Boom Town

In late February 1999, ABC's Nightline program assigned me to travel to remote western Cambodia and to the town of Pailin, near the Thai border.

The story Nightline wanted was - "whatever happened to the Khmer Rouge after the death of its  leader Pol Pot."

We discovered that the remnants of the murderous Khmer Rouge regime were living comfortably in or near Pailin and most of them had become aggressive capitalists.

ABC Nightline is one of the few programs on American television still willing to give time to international issues. Since the retirement of ABC News President Roone Arledge, the rest of the news coverage of the American ABC network has deteriorated  sharply. Cutbacks have resulted in fewer experienced reporters. And a de-emphasis on international news has meant that ABC does not cover the world as well as it did in the 1980's and early 1990's.

The exception is Nightline. Largely because of the single-minded efforts of Executive Producer Tom Bettag and anchor Ted Koppel, the program has retained quality and international coverage  in spite of the network trend.

A transcript of the 30 minute Nightline program on Cambodia follows on the
next page.

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