Kavi Chongkittavorn

Kavi Chongkittavorn "is assistant group editor of Nation Multimedia Group – publisher of the English-language daily, The Nation. He has been a journalist for over two decades reporting on issues related to human rights, democracy and regionalism. He served as a bureau chief in Phnom Penh from 1987-88 and Hanoi in 1989-91. He was former president of Thai Journalists Association. He is chairperson of Southeast Asian Press Alliance, a Bangkok-based, region-wide media advocacy group. He also serves as president of the jury for the Guerillmo Cano World Press Freedom Prize." 

"A tireless campaigner for press freedom throughout Southeast Asia and, indeed, throughout the world, Kavi Chongkittavorn is the assistant group editor of Nation Media Group, publisher of The Nation, Krungthep Turakij and Kom Chat Luek in Thailand. Kavi has been a journalist for more than two decades, covering Thai and regional politics. He was a bureau chief in Phnom Penh, Cambodia from 1988-1990 and Hanoi, Vietnam from 1990-1992. He also served as special assistant to the secretary general at the Jakarta-based Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) from 1993-1994 before returning to journalism.

"In 1993, Kavi was a Reuters Fellow at Oxford, and in 2001, a Nieman Fellow at Harvard. He was named the Human Rights Journalist of 1998 to commemorate the 50th Anniversary of the UN Declaration of Human Rights by Amnesty International, Thailand. From 1999-2003, he was the president of Thai Journalists Association. Since 1999, he has chaired the Bangkok-based regional free media advocacy group, Southeast Asian Press Alliance. Kavi also serves as Jury President for the Guillermo Cano World Press Freedom Prize, UNESCO, which consists of fourteen professional journalists and editors from all over the world. Under his leadership, UNESCO awarded its press freedom prize posthumously to Anna Politkavskaya at its recent conference in Colombia."


 * Steering Committee, World Movement for Democracy
 * Executive Board, International Press Institute
 * Recepient of the 2007 NED Democracy Award (received on September 18, 2007)