Charlie Dharapak

Charlie is a prominent, award-winning Thai-American multi-platform journalist and editor. He is best known for his extensive work with The Associated Press (AP), where he spent over a decade chronicling U.S. presidents, national politics, and major global conflicts.

Dharapak joined the AP as a staff photographer based in Southeast Asia. He covered some of the most significant geopolitical events in the region. Operating out of Bangkok and later as the chief photographer and photo editor in Jakarta, Indonesia, his notable assignments included:

* The Cambodian civil war.
* The democracy movement in Myanmar.
* The protests and riots that led to the fall of Indonesian President Suharto.
* East Timor's struggle for independence.
* Extended assignments in Gaza covering the Israeli-Palestinian conflict in 2002.

Dharapak relocated to Washington, D.C., where he became a highly visible fixture in American political journalism. For over a decade, he traveled frequently on Air Force One, photographing the presidencies of George W. Bush and Barack Obama.