Published on Friday 27 April 2012
Reporters Without Borders
Reporters Without Borders strongly condemns the action of the Cambodian military police in detaining two journalists from theCambodia Daily, Phorn Bopha et Olesia Plokhii, after an incident on 26 April in the south-western province of Koh Kong in which the environmentalist Chut Wutty, who was their local guide, and a policeman were killed.
“We offer our condolences to the family and friends of
Chut Wutty,” Reporters Without Borders said. “It is not acceptable that
the matter should be regarded as closed so soon afterwards. The
Cambodian authorities must conduct an investigation to clarify an
incident that led to the death of someone who worked closely with news
organizations.
“The right of access to the region for the press and
environmental protection organizations should be guaranteed. The reason
for intervention by the police should be determined — it could well have
been in response to a request from a private company.
“We are concerned that members of the security forces can be used as a private militia to get rid of ‘awkward’ observers.”
The two women journalists, Phorn Bopha, a Cambodian, and
Olesia Plokhii, a Canadian, arrived at a checkpoint in late morning
after visiting a protected area of forest at Veal Bei in Koh Kong
province. They were believed to have gone there to report on wine
production accompanied by Chut Wutty, who is well-known in Cambodia for
his activism.
The Cambodian League for the Promotion and Defense of
Human Rights (Licadho) reports that Chut Wutty refused to hand over the
memory cards from the journalists’ cameras to the police.
In Kong Chit, the provincial coordinator for Licadho,
said one policeman, named as In Rattana, shot Chut Wutty as he tried to
start his car to drive away, killing him instantly. The exact
circumstances of the deaths are still vague, however several newspapers
quoted Chut Wutty’s wife as saying she believed her husband was targeted
because of his work.
The two journalists were detained for questioning by the
Koh Kong military police and released on 28 April. Phorn Bopha suffered
a slight injury to the mouth. The women’s three cameras were seized by
the authorities. At least some of the equipment was later returned to
them.
As reported in thePhnom Penh Post,
it was not the first time that Chut Wutty, the director of the Natural
Resource Protection Group, had accompanied journalists visiting
protected areas of forest. Last December, he was arrested several times
and asked after escorting the Phnom Penh Post to protected forest areas.
He also received threats because of his criticism of the role of the government and armed forces in several cases of illegal logging and land seizures.
Police spokesman Kheng Tito said the police officer was
believed to have shot Chut Wutty before killing himself and that, in
these circumstances, further investigation was unlikely.
He also said the presence of military personnel was
requested by the company MDS Import Export to prevent photographs being
taken in the area, where it is carrying out tree felling in preparation
for the construction of a hydro-electric dam by the Chinese firmChina National Heavy Machinery.
According to Ou Virak,
president of the Cambodian Center for Human Rights, local officials
could not be trusted to conduct an impartial investigation when military
police officers were accused of being involved in the shooting.
Journalists visiting protected natural zones in
Cambodia, in particular those who report on illegal logging, are
regularly subjected to threats from private companies.
In 2007,Lem Piseth,
a correspondent for Radio Free Asia, was forced to flee to Thailand
after receiving threats over his investigation into damage from
deforestation in the centre of the country. In 2010, Reporters Without
Borders published a report on attacks on journalists who write about damage to the environment.
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