The Phnom Penh Post is Cambodia's first English-language newspaper since 1975.

At the very least, the Post is an experiment with the concept of a free press in a nation that is attempting

a difficult transition from more than two decades of warfare to a much-hoped for, extended period of national reconciliation

and reconstruction. Ideally, the latter will lead to a lasting peace and prosperity for all Khmers. However, both

this experiment for the Post and this transitional process for Cambodia are fraught with pitfalls and uncertainties.

Within this context, the Post seeks to provide accurate and responsible coverage of current events. Our immediate

goal is to serve the needs of those Khmers and foreigners alike who are engaged in the enormous tasks at hand -

the peace process, which is to lead to free and fair elections in 1993 and, more broadly, endeavors related to

the long term process of Cambodian reconstruction.

Our aim is to produce balanced and timely news coverage of these momentous undertakings, including all aspects

of Cambodian national development, culture, and society. In doing so, we seek to reflect the full spectrum of ideas,

opinions, and activities of all those involved. Over the long run, the Post aspires to become a respected and credible

member of the print media community in Cambodia; a voice of reason, a vehicle for the dissemination of information

required by the public to participate effectively in a pluralistic society.

To achieve these objectives, the Post encourages the active participation of its readers. We will run letters

to the editor and we are open to suggestions for story ideas. We believe that this paper will be most useful if

it meets the needs of the communities it serves. Accordingly, we welcome your comments and criticisms, in whatever

shape or form.

Finally, as publisher and editor-in-chief of the Post, the responsibility for the paper's contents are my own.

As a truly independent newspaper, I alone am accountable for what we print. In this regard, if proven wrong, I

stand ready to be corrected at any time and to make public those corrections.

- Michael Hayes