Youk Chhang Appointed Ambassador to the Royal Cabinet of His Majesty the King of Cambodia

Youk Chhang, Executive Director of the Documentation Center of Cambodia (DC‑Cam), has just been appointed Ambassador to the Cabinet of His Majesty King Norodom Sihamoni, with the rank of Minister of State, by royal decree dated January 19, 2026.

Youk Chhang

Who is Youk Chhang?

Born in 1961 in Phnom Penh, Youk Chhang is a survivor of the Khmer Rouge regime’s “killing fields.” He was arrested at age 15 for picking mushrooms to feed his pregnant sister. After fleeing Cambodia, he pursued further studies in the United States, notably in politics at the University of Dallas, before returning home in the 1990s to direct human rights and democracy programs for the International Republican Institute and UNTAC.

In 1995, he became Director of the Documentation Center of Cambodia, which had initially been established as a local office of Yale University’s Cambodian Genocide Program, later becoming an independent Cambodian NGO in 1997. Since then, DC‑Cam has amassed over 600,000 pages of documents, 6,000 photographs, and 200 films related to the Khmer Rouge regime, becoming a global reference for the study and remembrance of the Cambodian genocide.

An Internationally Recognized Career

Youk Chhang was named one of Asia’s “Heroes” by Time magazine in 2006 and ranked among the world’s most influential figures in 2007 for his fight against impunity. In 2017, His Majesty King Norodom Sihamoni awarded him the title of Commander of the Royal Order of Cambodia for distinguished service to the nation, and in 2018 he received the Ramon Magsaysay Award, often regarded as Asia’s Nobel Prize, for his commitment to memory, justice, and reconciliation.

He also serves as an associate researcher at the Center for the Study of Genocide, Conflict Resolution, and Human Rights at Rutgers University–Newark, co‑founded the Institute for International Criminal Investigations in The Hague, and was executive producer of the award‑winning documentary A River Changes Course (2012), honored at the Sundance Film Festival.

These distinctions highlight the worldwide impact of his work, far beyond Cambodia’s borders.

The New Role as Ambassador to the Royal Cabinet

The royal decree of January 19, 2026, officially appoints Youk Chhang as “Ambassador to the Cabinet of His Majesty the King,” with the protocol rank of Minister of State. In a public statement, he expressed his “deep gratitude” to His Majesty King Norodom Sihamoni and Her Majesty Queen Mother Norodom Monineath Sihanouk for what he described as an “honor” and a “tremendous privilege.”

Youk Chhang emphasized that the appointment reflects the Crown’s confidence in both himself and DC‑Cam, pledging to “live up to the highest expectations” of the monarchy in this prestigious position. Although not ministerial in the strict sense, the ambassadorial role places its holder in the King’s immediate circle, granting significant influence.

A Link Between Memory, Justice, and the Monarchy

This appointment represents a natural continuation between Youk Chhang’s lifelong work on genocide remembrance and the monarchy’s enduring commitment to national reconciliation. DC‑Cam played a key role in collecting evidence for the Khmer Rouge Tribunal (ECCC), and Youk Chhang himself testified before the Court as a survivor, ensuring that justice addressed the crimes of the past.

Through the Sleuk Rith Institute, which he heads in Phnom Penh, he aims to establish a permanent center for genocide studies in Asia combining research, education, and commemoration. As ambassador to the Royal Cabinet, he now holds an institutional platform from which to further promote these goals of justice, remembrance, and healing at the heart of the Cambodian state.

Political and Symbolic Significance

In a context where the memory of the Khmer Rouge genocide remains sensitive, this appointment can be interpreted as a formal recognition of historical documentation and the fight against impunity. It also strengthens the monarchy’s role as guardian of national memory, by bringing a survivor and globally respected researcher into the King’s immediate entourage.

For Youk Chhang, this position is both a personal acknowledgment and an increased responsibility: to carry the voice of the victims, preserve the archives, and support civic education for younger generations about the lessons of the past. His journey — from forced labor camps to the Royal Cabinet — thus embodies a form of symbolic reparation and the culmination of a lifelong dedication to truth and reconciliation in Cambodia.