Ang Khen reporting live in VOA Studio, 2006

After more than four decades, Ang Khen, one of VOA Khmer’s top radio broadcasters announces her retirement Thursday live on our 'Hello VOA' radio call-in show.

Ang Khen’s distinguished voice has been streaming into the homes of nearly 13 million VOA listeners throughout Cambodia, including our devoted listeners who have been tuning into our daily air shows for the past 65 years.

The Khmer Radio Service began its’ first broadcast on August 15, 1955.

Ang Khen has anchored numerous programs and important broadcasts including watershed story on Pol Pot in 1998, who reportedly died shortly after she broadcasted the news on one of the country’s most defining moments.

An avid listener of VOA Khmer, Pol Pot would religiously tune into our broadcasts every night, but on April 15, the news reported by Khen was about his fate. In the broadcast, Khen announced that Pol Pot was going to be turned over to an international court to face trial for crimes he committed against humanity.

Ang Khen with VOA Khmer colleagues, 2006

Pol Pot, the mastermind behind Cambodia’s killing fields, along with his Khmer Rouge commanders, was responsible for over 2 millions deaths between 1975-1979. The Pol Pot era deeply scarred millions of Cambodians, and to this day many are still seeking for justice and closure.

As a broadcaster, Ang Khen reported the major news of the day for over four decades, including interviews with King Norodom Sihanouk, Son Sann, and Prime Minister Hun Sen. Incredibly, her careers at Voice of America spanned 9 U.S. Presidents since John F. Kennedy in 1962.

Voice of America building

Among her other accomplishments, Khen is highly regarded both by listeners and her colleagues for her passionate yet soothing tone, and her professionalism and integrity as a journalist.

On this special occasion, VOA listeners have the unique opportunity to ask Khen about her reflections on her distinguished career, as her plans for retirement.

Veteran news broadcaster Ang Khen will sign off officially for the last time on December 27.