Asia Journalist Association (AJA) new President Sophal Chhay has offered his wishes for further success and greater strength to all journalists, particularly the members of AJA. Dr. Sophal Chhay (Cambodia), is the fourth journalist to lead the association, following Lee Sang-ki ( South Korea), Ivan Lim (Singapore), and Ashraf Aboul-Yazid (Egypt) who served the post for 8 years (2016 - 2024).
In November 2024, celebrating its 20th anniversary, AJA held online elections to form the Executive Committee, electing Vice Presidents from East Asia, Southeast Asia, South Asia, Central Asia, and West Asia and an Executive Committee member.
AJA Executive Committee, including President Sophal Chhay, will serve a two-year term that started in January 2025.

Ashraf Aboul-Yazid presents his collection of poems (The Memory of Silence) to Sophal Chahy, during their meeting in Seoul, April 2024
Former AJA President, Ashraf Aboul-Yazid (Ashraf Dali) congratulated the new president who formally starts his two year post today, along with the elected members to the post of Vice President; Seok Jae Kang, Korea (East Asia Vice), Ms. Norila Daud, Malaysia (Southeast Asia), Sathasivam Leo Niorsha Darshan, Indonesia
(South Asia), Kubanychbek Taabaldiev, Kyrgyzstan (Central Asia ), and Ms. Pooneh Nedaei, Iran (Western Asia).
The new president, who also serves as director of Cambodia News, is a prominent Southeast Asian journalist who has been active in journalist organizations such as AJA, Confederation of ASEAN Journalists (CAJ), and the Cambodian Journalists Association.
His new year message carried his thoughts on 2025 as a fresh and potential year for Asia Journalist Association (AJA) colleagues. “It is also the most challenging age for our media outlets and practitioners in more than 20 nations around ASIA as well as the whole world. Since recovering from COVID-19, the global people have met with a new era of political, economic and military challenges at the time of the power’s geopolitics competition. We, journalists, are out in the field right now, risking our lives to report news. With the critical year, our media colleagues are striving hard for themselves and families while their daily duties are bombarded with all types of information, including fake ones, though both offline and online tools, especially the social media. As AJA President, I would like to express my profound gratitude and warm welcome to you all who have worked hard and professionally in journalism for peace, solidarity, prosperity and a better world. Last, but not least, may our AJA members and other journalist friends around the world stay heathy, happy and safe throughout the coming year. I would like to express my thanks to my predecessor and to both old and new members of AJA. Without their support, patience and solidarity, AJA cannot stand until today. I hope that AJA will be stronger in the upcoming years.
I also share my condolences with the families of our AJA colleagues and other journalists who lost their lives for journalism commitment. Happy New Year and, kindly, stay together for a stronger AJA and help save the world with our professional news articles and opinions.”
Former AJA President, Ashraf Aboul-Yazid, who is currently the Secretary General of the Congress of African Journalists (CAJ) wrote: “I have a certain belief on the new AJA era, thanks to Dr. Sophal Chhay ‘s experiences in work and research. His travels across east and west, in Asia and abroad, entitles him to expand the role of global journalists. Our hopes are to meet the expectations and keep the progress of the association for the next years. I also hope to have fruitful future cooperation between Asia Journalist Association and the Congress of African Journalists.”
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