Radio reporter
in Southeast Asia
I make reports for Belgian, Dutch and German broadcasting companies.
Let me take you to the magical world of sounds.
Sihanoukville sent reeling from Chinese investment bust
In southern Cambodia, the city of Sihanoukville, was counting its blessings not all that long ago.
Not only was it reaping the benefits of a construction boom as part of the New Silk Road, but it also was a tourism hotspot.
But within a short period of time, two crises transformed it into a ghosttown.
Report for Deutsche Welle, 6th October 2021.
Tourism Job Losses in Cambodia
Although Cambodia has so far hardly been affected by the coronavirus itself, the consequences of the pandemic are nevertheless serious.
Tens of thousands of Cambodians who worked in the tourism industry have lost their jobs. For many of them there is no other option than to return to their native village.
Report for “World in Progress”, Deutsche Welle, 7th October 2020.
Cambodia's Overcrowded Prisons
Cambodia’s prison system is considered one of the world’s most crowded. In some cases, say human rights groups and former prisoners, more than 100 people share the same cell, with only 1 square meter allowed per person.
For over a decade, Belgian aid organization Caritas has been working to help improve conditions for these prisoners. I took a rare inside look.
Broadcast by the English Service of Deutsche Welle.
Muslims are under threat in Buddhist Myanmar. Racist and extreme-nationalist monks spread hate speech against them and they even encourage violence.
Choreographer Prumsodun Ok adds a surprisingly contemporary element to the classical Apsara dance: a touch of gay-eroticism.
On December 15, 2012, Laotian activist Sombath Somphone was abducted in Vientiane. His wife recalls the events of her husband's disappearance.
In Cambodia valuable and protected wood is logged illegally on a huge scale. I went deep into the Cambodian woods in search of the roots of this problem.
Whoever dares to speak against the Cambodian government, takes the risk of being arrested and put in jail. But a secret opposition is rising.
Khmer-American returns to the refugee camp of his youth.
Thai activists who violate the majesty law are in danger. They flee the country in fear of being arrested or even killed. I visited four of them in exile.
Phnom Penh has a lot of street vendors. Because they don't want to shout all day, they use megaphones to repeat a recorded message over and over again.
Muay Thai is a combat sport of Thailand that uses stand-up striking along with various clinching techniques. But what does it sound like? Listen!
Sand mines and hydro-electric power stations are changing water quality, blocking fish migration routes and crippling the stability of river banks.
President Rodrigo Duterte of the Philippines declared he wants to kill three million addicts. And he likes to compare himself to Hitler.
