The Peace Palace will be brimming with more than 1,700 journalists when the ASEAN Summit opens in Phnom Penh from November 18 to 20, Minister of Information Khieu Kanharith said yesterday.

“More than 1,600 reporters from around the globe have registered for the summit already,” he said yesterday. “But we’re expecting even more.”

Floor space could come at a premium for journalists battling for turf – and that’s without taking into account the sheer number of reporters accompanying leaders to the summit.

Freshly re-elected, US President Barack Obama’s entourage alone is expected to reach triple figures, Kanharith said.

“We’ve been contacted by the White House to inform us that more than 100 reporters will travel with Obama,” he said. “Then there are the reporters who will travel with [Russian President Vladimir] Putin and leaders from China, Japan and other countries.”

To contact the reporters on this story: Sen David at [email protected]