Australian Story: Dec 17

The final Australian Story for the year profiles filmmaker James Ricketson who was imprisoned in Cambodia for 15 months before being released in September.

This episode is introduced by columnist Elizabeth Farrelly.

“I felt that I had basically been abandoned by the Australian government.” James Ricketson.

“We thought he was going to die.” Peter Ricketson, brother.

In a television exclusive, the untold story of James Ricketson, the Australian filmmaker locked up in Cambodia for 15 months on espionage charges.

Ricketson endured squalid conditions and failing health as he found himself a pawn in much larger game of Cambodian politics.

Meanwhile in working for his release his family faced a dilemma – to go along with the Australian Government’s “softly, softly” diplomatic approach or ceding to James’s demands to shout injustice from the rooftops and risk even harsher punishment.

“How do you deal with a situation like this?” asks friend and fellow filmmaker Rachel Ward. “Do you listen to the government and go quietly and not embarrass the Cambodians or do you make a bloody racket?”

Featuring interviews from Ricketson, his family and friends, Inside Story is a candid and eye-opening account of his harrowing time in prison and the family tensions that remain.

Producer: Winsome Denyer and Belinda Hawkins

Monday December 17th at 8pm on ABC.