Phnom Penh Post – State Media Monitor

The Phnom Penh Post is a prominent English-language news outlet headquartered in Cambodia’s capital. First published in 1992 as a bi-monthly, full-colour tabloid, the newspaper evolved into a daily broadsheet in 2008. Widely respected for its investigative reporting and independent editorial voice in its early years, the paper experienced a significant shift following its acquisition in 2018 by a politically connected Malaysian investor. In March 2024, the Post ceased its print operations and now functions exclusively as a digital news platform.

Media assets

Publishing: Phnom Penh Post

State Media Matrix Typology

Ownership and governance

In May 2018, the Phnom Penh Post was acquired by Sivakumar S. Ganapathy, a Malaysian businessman and owner of the public relations firm ASIA PR, which has represented the Cambodian government. Ganapathy is widely regarded as an ally of former Prime Minister Hun Sen, father of the current Prime Minister Hun Manet. This change in ownership marked a significant moment in the publication’s trajectory, with many observers noting a rapid erosion of its editorial independence.

Star Media Alliance Co. Ltd. (sometimes styled SR Digital Media Co., Ltd.) is currently credited as the publisher of The Phnom Penh Post on the newspaper’s own website. It is likely a subsidiary or successor to Post Media Co. Ltd., the official publisher of the newspaper for some years.

Source of funding and budget

According to public statements from the owners, the Phnom Penh Post operates on a commercial basis, with revenue generated predominantly through advertising. However, no audited financial statements or funding disclosures have been made available, leaving the newspaper’s precise financial structure opaque.

Editorial independence

The 2018 sale triggered an immediate and highly public editorial crisis. Then-editor Kay Kimsong was summarily dismissed after publishing a story scrutinizing Ganapathy’s background and ties to the Cambodian government via ASIA PR. The article was later expunged from the newspaper’s online archive.

Subsequently, editorial control was transferred to Ly Tayseng, a lawyer with longstanding links to the Cambodian People’s Party (CPP). This transition coincided with the resignation or termination of dozens of editorial staff, including many of the newsroom’s senior journalists, who cited censorship and political interference as primary concerns.

As of mid-2025, there is no publicly known editorial charter or self-regulatory framework in place at the Phnom Penh Post to safeguard journalistic integrity. There is likewise no mechanism—internal or external—for conducting independent assessments of editorial freedom or newsroom independence.

July 2025