In this first episode of RightsStarters, Rupert Abbott travels to Battambang, Cambodia, to meet Ou Virak, founder of Future Forum and one of the country’s leading public intellectuals.

Virak shares his remarkable journey, from being born under the Khmer Rouge, to growing up through conflict and displacement, years in refugee camps and eventual resettlement in the United States, before returning to Cambodia to help shape its future.

The conversation explores how these experiences shaped his thinking, his work in human rights, and ultimately his decision to found Future Forum: a think tank focused not just on ideas, but on building a new generation of Cambodian thinkers.

Together, they discuss what it takes to start something new in a complex environment, the importance of culture and critical thinking, and why lasting change depends on people as much as policy.

Show Notes

In this episode, we cover:

Ou Virak’s childhood in Cambodia during and after the Khmer RougeLife in refugee camps and resettlement in the United StatesReturning to Cambodia and working in human rightsFounding Future Forum and building new thinkersLessons on starting and sustaining an organisationAbout Ou Virak

Ou Virak is the founder of Future Forum, a Cambodian think tank focused on policy research and developing a new generation of thinkers. He previously served as President of the Cambodian Center for Human Rights.

Links

Future Forum: https://www.futureforum.asia/Ou Virak: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ou_VirakNote: This episode includes an automatically generated transcript, which may contain errors, particularly with non-English language and names.

About RightsStarters

RightsStarters is a podcast about turning ideas into action, through conversations with founders shaping social change.

Hosted by Rupert Abbott, founder of RightsStart Alliance.

Follow the podcast to hear future episodes.

Learn more: https://www.rights-start.org

Episode ID: 1000764980274

GUID: Buzzsprout-19102710

Release Date: 30/04/2026, 16:00:00