PHOTO SUPPLIED

Philip Jones Griffiths in Vietnam, 1968

Philip Jones Griffiths – one of the Phnom Penh Post’s best friends over the

last 16 years and a dear friend of Cambodia – passed away on March 18 at his

home in London after a long battle with cancer. He was 72.

Philip was one of the giants in the news photography

industry, gaining recognition during his years in Vietnam in the 1960s, particularly

with the publication of his controversial book Vietnam, Inc. in 1971

which depicted the scale of civilian casualties during that conflict.

He later went on to become president of Magnum photos

and most recently published a book about the effects of Agent Orange on both

Vietnamese and Americans.

I met Philip in the early days of the Post back

in 1992 and he would always make a point of stopping by the office during all

of his numerous visits to the Kingdom, a country he often told me was his

favorite in the world.

He was regularly crisscrossing the globe on a variety

of photo shoots, but whenever his work brought him to Asia he would try to take

a break and spend a quiet week in Phnom

Penh where he would set up camp in La Paillotte Hotel

near the central market.

He generously offered his support and encouragement to

the paper, free use of his photos when he could, and free use of his photos

when he couldn’t under his Celtic alter ego Mr Nark O’Lepsy. 

He was a great storyteller with a refined Welsh wit

and a chemist’s eye for detail.

Survived

by his two daughters Fanny and Katherine, Philip will be sadly missed and

fondly remembered by all of his friends and family.

PHOTO SUPPLIED

Philip receives the Lifetime Acheivement Award at the Lucie Awards ceremony in 2007 in New York.