The Dissident and the Dictator

I have to admit: from the moment I decided to launch this podcast about the murder of Haing Ngor, I knew I had to interview Sam Rainsy. When I was reporting from Cambodia in the 1990’s, Sam Rainsy was seen as a bright and shining star. He was a democracy activist, who had worked in finance in Paris – so he had his own money, and was seen as uncorruptible. He became Cambodia’s Finance Minister. Rainsy was also an absolute darling of the international press. That’s partly because he made himself super accessible. If you got Sam Rainsy on the phone, you could always count on him for quote. And there’s one quote I remember : It’s been stuck in the back of my head for decades. It was when Sam Rainsy said that Hun Sen was behind the murder of Haing Ngor.