A selection of highlights from my reporting, research and other work, in chronological order.
“Malaysian logger Samling’s track record leaves Indigenous Sarawak questioning its plans”
Mongabay | Oct. 26, 2023
After reporting remotely on updates to a lawsuit that timber firm Samling filed against the Sarawak-based NGO SAVE Rivers, I traveled to Malaysia’s Upper Baram area to meet residents and officials and learn more about the complicated relationship between Indigenous residents, NGOs and logging companies.
“Cambodia’s leader continues to abuse Facebook while Meta mulls suspension ruling”
Rest of World | Aug. 2, 2023
As Meta’s ethical watchdogs mulled kicking Cambodia’s premier off Facebook, I documented the (effectively) single-party government’s reliance on the social media platform to maintain its ubiquitous presence – and how Meta had ignored the signs, if not encouraged it.
“The Vietnamese military has a troll army and Facebook is its weapon“
Rest of World | May 8, 2023
I took a look into the power of “Force 47”, a shadowy arm of Vietnam’s military that blocks Vietnam residents’ access to any information, utilizing the Facebook tools that are supposed to combat harmful and sensitive content.
VOD English | 2021-2023
A series of news reports and features on the emerging online gambling and fraud enterprises operating in Cambodia to which I contributed. My coworkers and I steadily reported cases of violence, abuse and human trafficking we encountered in seemingly innocuous offices, office parks and casinos, and progressively investigated the political ties that allow these illegal businesses to operate with impunity. Our reporting inspired and informed dozens of international news outlets to follow the industry, and culminated in winning the Society of Publishers in Asia’s Carlos Tejada Award for Excellence in Investigative Journalism in 2023, after VOD had been forced to close by Cambodia’s autocratic government.
“How Cambodia’s scam mills reel in new “cyber slave” workers”
Rest of World | Nov. 10, 2022
For this story, my colleague Lam Nguyen and I entered the web of recruitment for Cambodia’s scam businesses, particularly those targeting Vietnamese nationals. We had conversations with dozens of “human resources” workers for online gambling and fraud operations, particularly in the eastern border town Bavet, to learn about their work and attempt to peel back the fabric covering their business exercises.
Phnom Penh’s sole casino – operating with impunity?
2019-2023
I’ve been closely following the activities of Nagacorp, a foreign-owned casino that’s been operating in Cambodia for decades, seemingly relying on powerful connections with former Prime Minister Hun Sen. For more than two years now, workers have been pressed by bad behavior and unfair treatment within the casinos gilded halls, up until facing a mass layoff in 2021. When they striked, union leaders found themselves punished by the Cambodian government, rather than opening negotiations with company officials as they desired. Finally, as part of the Pandora Papers project, I uncovered dozens of documents showing a network of shell companies propping up the Hong Kong-listed company.
Cambodia sees cement factories in its karst mountains
2020
Cambodia’s unique coastal terrain is home to some of the most beautiful karst mountains, which are home to hundreds of unique endemic species. But these mountains have been increasingly consumed by the country’s construction boom and resulting demand for cement, which also bears a large, sometimes deadly, cost on workers.
Self-published | April 25, 2016
My undergraduate thesis began as an aim to explore police-community relations in Appalachian, Ohio, but I quickly realized that the region’s biggest issue was the lack of information about crime and the law in general due to the slow death of its independent newspaper, The Pomeroy Sentinel. This project was an anecdotal investigation into how private equity firms bought up and tore apart what was once a robust part of the community, and the impacts that this had on the paper’s sole, remaining reporter, and her community at large.