Khmer for Khmer News

Khmer Post Letter

2012-04-28T23:17:00.000-07:00

Authorities Arrest Suspected Drug Lord

2012-04-28T22:48:00.000-07:00

Police in Laos have detained a suspected narcotics kingpin who terrorized the Mekong River.

ImagineChina

Family members of the sailors killed on the Mekong River grieve in Yunnan province, Oct. 13, 2011.

Authorities in Laos have arrested a suspected drug lord who is believed to have information vital to an investigation into the murder of 13 Chinese sailors on the Mekong last year, amidst unconfirmed reports that he has been transferred to China for prosecution.

According to Thai authorities, Jai Norkham, a Burmese ethnic Shan who is on Thailand’s most-wanted list, was captured Thursday along with seven other men in the Lao area of the Golden Triangle, a region notorious for drug smuggling that also includes parts of Burma and Thailand.

The raiding party was made up of Lao and Chinese authorities, according to a report by the Shan Herald Agency for News.

An Internal Security officer in Xiengkhong, in northern Thailand’s Chiang Rai province, confirmed with RFA’s Laotian service that the Lao army had arrested Norkham and his henchmen near Tonpheung district in the Lao province of Bokeo. He was taken in Ban Mom, a village that lies across the Mekong from Chiang Rai.

But he said that China was seeking to extradite Norkham to determine what he knows about the murder of two merchant boat crews in October last year.

“China wants Norkham and they have an arrest warrant out for him,” the security officer said, speaking on condition of anonymity.

“Thailand will work on this case based on Thai regulations and may assign the Ministry of Foreign Affairs or the National Police Department to follow up and bring him for trial because we have also issued an arrest warrant for him.”

Members of the military command in Bokeo province and the Defense Ministry in the Lao capital Vientiane refused to comment on Norkham’s arrest.

Thai media reported that Norkham’s close Lao aide Tao Maitaeng was amongst the seven other men arrested and that at least one other was a Burmese national.

A Thai security source cited Lao authorities as saying that Norkham and the seven others had immediately been taken to China following his arrest, though the report could not be verified.

And the Bangkok Post quoted Chiang Rai police chief Surachet Thopoonyanont as saying that it is understood there was an agreement between Laos and China regarding Norkham’s extradition, but that Thailand could still ask to later take him from China to face charges there for previous drug cases.

Mekong murder

Norkham is alleged to be a former aide of late Burmese drug kingpin Khun Sa and ex-leader of the defunct Mong Tai Army rebel group.

According to the Shan Herald Agency for News, he surrendered to the Burmese army in 1996 and was made a Burma Army-run militia chief in Tachilek afterwards.

But in January 2006, Norkham became a fugitive when his home was raided and Burmese authorities seized “countless numbers” of methamphetamine tablets.

Since then, he allegedly had taken control of cross-border shipping, both legal and illegal, by collecting protection money from merchant ships on the Mekong and had operated with impunity in the Golden Triangle region.

Norkham had risen to the top of China’s most-wanted criminal list for his alleged role in the Oct. 5 murder of 13 Chinese nationals, including two women, on two separate cargo boats plying the Mekong River last year.

The crew members were found with their hands tied behind their backs, blindfolded with adhesive tape and shot or with their throats slit, according to Chinese and Thai media. Their bodies were found near Chiang Rai.

Both boats were seized by Thai authorities after a gun battle with the hijackers and among the cargo found were nearly a million amphetamine tablets—a powerful stimulant—worth 100 million baht (U.S. $3.22 million).

Nine Thai soldiers have also been charged with murdering and concealing the corpses because police believed they were in some way linked with Norkham's gang.

The grisly murders prompted the creation of a joint patrol operation on the Southeast Asian artery involving Burma, China, Laos and Thailand.

Thai army officials had suspected the involvement of Norkham’s gang, which allegedly had been demanding protection money from ships it hijacked on the Mekong and killing crew members who refused to cooperate.

The incident underscored increased business rivalries—from shipping to gambling to the drug trade—as China steps up investments in Southeast Asian nations along the Mekong, experts and ethnic group representative say. The river runs through Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam, Burma and Thailand from its source in China’s Tibetan plateau.

Reported by RFA’s Lao service. Translated by Somnet Inthapannha. Written in English by Joshua Lipes.

Anti-logging activist shot dead in Cambodian forest

2012-04-28T06:12:00.000-07:00

Chhut Vuthy, president of the Natural Resource Conservation Group (AFP/CCHR)

By: AFP

PHNOM PENH — A prominent Cambodian activist was fatally shot in a remote forest Thursday while documenting illegal logging in a clash that also killed a military police officer, authorities said.

Chhut Vuthy, president of the Natural Resource Conservation Group, was escorting two female reporters from a Cambodian newspaper when a dispute erupted, said Kheng Tito, spokesman for the national military police.

"There was a shooting incident when there was a clash between military police on duty to protect the forest and an environmental team, leading to the deaths of activist Chhut Vuthy and a military police official," he told AFP.

Vuthy, 43, and one military police officer received gun shot wounds in the incident in a forest in southwestern Koh Kong province and died shortly afterwards in hospital.

Koh Kong provincial military police chief, Thong Narong, confirmed the deaths but details of the incident remain unclear and officials were unable to say how the dispute escalated and who had fired the shots.

Vuthy, who received military police training, was known to carry arms, activists told AFP.

Kheng Tito said the two reporters from the English-language Cambodia Daily, one Cambodian and one Ukrainian, would be questioned.

Kevin Doyle, the paper's editor-in-chief, confirmed to AFP that both women were unharmed but said he was unable to give further details of the incident at this stage.

A military police source in the province said the row appeared to have erupted when the officer tried to confiscate a camera memory stick from the team.

"Vuthy was a long-time activist on forestry issues," said Ou Virak, president of the Cambodian Centre for Human Rights. "He was a very brave man."

Land disputes, including forced evictions and protests against illegal logging, have been on the rise in recent years in Cambodia and have become increasingly violent although they rarely result in deaths.

Over the last six months local human rights group Licadho documented five shooting incidents involving land activists, causing 19 injuries, though the last death was in April 2010.

Environmental groups and human rights campaigners have long accused the Cambodian government of selling off land to the highest bidder.

Anti-Logging Activist Shot in Cambodia

2012-04-28T06:09:00.000-07:00

By: Time.com

(PHNOM PENH, Cambodia) — Human rights and environmental groups on Friday denounced the shooting death of a prominent Cambodian environmental activist by military police who had confronted him while he was investigating illegal logging.

Military police spokesman Kheng Tito said National Resources Protection Group director Chut Wutty was shot Thursday in a clash at a checkpoint in Koh Kong province. He said the activist fatally shot a military police officer in the confrontation, and that it was unclear what triggered the violence or who shot first.

Patrick Alley, director of the London-based environmental activist group Global Witness, said the shooting exposed the risks environmental activists in Cambodia face "in the most shocking and tragic manner."

In Kong Chet, of the Cambodian human rights group Licadho, said the confrontation occurred when Chut Wutty refused to hand over a memory card containing photos taken in a nearby forest that is supposed to be protected but is notorious for illegal logging.

He said the activist had taken two journalists from The Cambodia Daily newspaper to see large-scale forest destruction and illegal rosewood smuggling, and that the confrontation occurred as the three were leaving. The journalists were later taken to a military police office for questioning, In Kong Chet said.

Amnesty International identified the journalists as Cambodian Phorn Bopha and Olesia Plokhii, a Canadian national, and said they were later released, but Kheng Tito said Friday that the two were still being questioned.

Amnesty International said Chut Wutty had received threats because of his activities, and called for "an immediate and proper investigation into what happened."

Alley said in a statement that Chut Wutty was "one of the few remaining Cambodian activists willing to speak out against the rapid escalation of illegal logging and land grabbing which is impoverishing ordinary Cambodians and destroying the country's rich natural heritage."

"The national government and international donor countries must publicly condemn his murder and take swift action to bring the perpetrators to justice," he said.

Global Witness and other groups claim illegal logging in Cambodia often occurs under the protection of government agencies or important persons. In recent years, protests against land grabs by rich and influential people have been suppressed by deadly force.

"What happened ... is meant to be a chilling message to us, the concerned citizens, the rights advocates: You mess with us, you pay with your life," said a statement by the rights group CIVICUS, the Center for Cambodian Civic Education. "However, let us send a message back: We will not be bowed!"

The Phnom Penh Post newspaper said Chut Wutty was instrumental in helping it break a story last year about illegal logging and corruption in the same district where he took the journalists this week.

The Club of Cambodian Journalists, a press freedom and professional organization, condemned the shooting of Chut Wutty and urged that his attackers be brought to justice. It also urged the government to guarantee the safety of the two journalists who were with him.

Cambodia has lost its treasures

2012-04-28T05:52:00.002-07:00

By Tess Davis
Los Angeles Times
During the Cambodian civil war from 1970 to 1998, the Khmer Rouge and other paramilitary groups began decimating that country’s ancient sites in search of treasures to sell on the international art market. Along with arms dealing and drug smuggling, the looting and trafficking of artifacts became organized industries, which helped finance one of the 20th century’s most notorious regimes.
My colleagues and I have documented the painful scars from this plunder — desecrated tombs, beheaded statues and ransacked temples — at archaeological sites throughout Cambodia. We’ve spoken with looters, middlemen and dealers, and have even posed as collectors. The exact path of pillaged objects is admittedly difficult to trace. But when they do surface, more often than not, it is in the legitimate art world.
On April 4, federal agents filed suit against Sotheby’s in New York demanding that the auction house forfeit a 10th century statue of a Hindu warrior that was “illicitly removed” from a Cambodian temple. According to the complaint, the expert Sotheby’s hired to appraise the sculpture warned that it was “definitely stolen” and suggested returning it to Cambodia to “save everyone some embarrassment.” Sotheby’s contends that the piece entered the United States legally and promises to vigorously defend itself.
Digital reconstructions
Across the country, the Norton Simon Museum in Pasadena is no doubt following the case closely, as the mate to the disputed Sotheby’s figure is on display there. Digital reconstructions and other studies demonstrate that the two sandstone fighters, which represent fabled enemies from the Hindu epic “The Mahabharata,” were once locked in combat at Prasat Chen, a temple in the ancient capital of Koh Ker in Cambodia. Now they are on opposite coasts of the United States with only their pedestals — and feet — left behind.

The U.S. and Cambodian governments, as well as scholars who have studied the site, firmly believe the pair were looted as Cambodia fell into civil war, then smuggled onto the European art market before eventually coming to America.
The Norton Simon, like Sotheby’s, denies any wrongdoing and notes that no one has formally challenged its ownership since the sculpture was acquired in 1976.

In recent years, a number of American collectors, galleries and museums — including the Metropolitan Museum in New York and the Honolulu Academy of Arts — have repatriated disputed objects to Cambodia after discovering that they were looted or stolen. Still, it remains difficult for countries such as Cambodia to recover their pillaged heritage in legal actions because of a high burden of proof, the statute of limitations and other bars to claims.
It’s easier to make a moral claim for repatriation. Most Cambodian “artworks” are sacred objects that were never meant to be bought or sold on the international market.
Without doubt, the art market has improved its practices regarding looted objects in the last decade, but it has not done enough for Cambodia. The Khmer Rouge may no longer be a threat — to temples or people — but the pillage of the nation’s archaeological sites continues, driven by an increasing demand for antiquities. With each artifact plundered, untold knowledge of the past is lost and a piece of the world’s heritage destroyed.
Paper trail
Most of us will never purchase an illicit antiquity from Cambodia or elsewhere, but we are complicit in these crimes. Our inaction allows them to continue. When we see an artifact for sale or on display, we must ask where it came from, and how. The answers should not be hard to provide, as valuable objects usually have a paper trail, from import declarations to insurance forms. But if there is no such provenance — or if it points to the artwork being a victim of war, civil unrest or criminal looting — such a piece should not be on the market or in a museum.
When archaeological sites are looted, the history of many is lost for the pleasure of a few. Buying, selling, displaying and even viewing such antiquities means condoning the destruction of art we love, and perhaps even encouraging it. At best, we may be funding criminals; at worst radicals, like the Khmer Rouge (al-Qaida and the Taliban have also been linked to the illicit art trade).
Tess Davis has worked for Heritage Watch in Cambodia and is now executive director of the Lawyers’ Committee for Cultural Heritage Preservation in Washington. She is consulting with the Cambodian government on the Sotheby’s case. She wrote this for the Los Angeles Times. Distributed by MCT Information Services.
Copyright 2012 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Rights Groups Demand Investigation into Cambodian Activist's Death

2012-04-27T19:16:00.000-07:00

Photo: Reuters
From VOA News
Chut Wutty, a prominent Cambodian anti-logging activist who helped expose a secretive state sell-off of national parks was fatally shot on April 25, 2012 in a remote southwestern province, FILE February 21, 2012.
According to Cambodian rights groups, Wutty was shot in the western province of Koh Kong, near an environmentally sensitive forest area he had spent much of his career trying to protect.

A military police spokesman told local media that officers shot at Wutty, and that one military police officer was killed in the exchange. Officials are still looking into the incident.
Rights groups say the government must ensure a full investigation is conducted by national authorities. Ny Chakrya is head of monitoring with local rights watchdog, ADHOC.

"If the government isn't interested or has no commitment to charge or arrest him, it means the government also has no commitment to protect the forest and has no commitment of the protection of human rights defenders," stated Chakrya.

Activist sensed danger
Chut Wutty was an outspoken critic of illegal logging. He frequently campaigned against government land concessions in protected forest areas. For that, his colleagues say, he gained enemies among trafficking rings and corrupt local officials and police, who stood to benefit from the trade of valuable illegal timber.

"It's such a difficult, very difficult situation. In the forest, in Phnom Penh, who will protect you if you're not friends with authority? That's made 100 times worse if you're in the middle of nowhere. Guns speak louder than anything. When you have weapons, that kind of muscle, then you get your way, in such a wild wild west, wild wild east kind of situation," said Ou Virak, president of the Cambodian Center for Human Rights (CCHR).

Wutty frequently received threats to his safety because of his advocacy work. Last August, armed police disrupted a human rights training session organized by Wutty for local villagers. Virak says authorities also accused him of incitement for his advocacy work.

"He told one of my colleagues, many times, that he's probably either in jail or he'll be shot. Unfortunately, his own predictions have come true," Virak added. "It's something he understands the risk and he's aware of the risk and still chose to continue to do the work."

Virak says local officials cannot be trusted to conduct an impartial investigation, when military police officers are accused of being involved in the shooting.
According to Cambodian rights groups, Wutty was shot in the western province of Koh Kong, near an environmentally sensitive forest area he had spent much of his career trying to protect.
A military police spokesman told local media that officers shot at Wutty, and that one military police officer was killed in the exchange. Officials are still looking into the incident.
Rights groups say the government must ensure a full investigation is conducted by national authorities. Ny Chakrya is head of monitoring with local rights watchdog, ADHOC.

"If the government isn't interested or has no commitment to charge or arrest him, it means the government also has no commitment to protect the forest and has no commitment of the protection of human rights defenders," stated Chakrya.

Activist sensed danger
Chut Wutty was an outspoken critic of illegal logging. He frequently campaigned against government land concessions in protected forest areas. For that, his colleagues say, he gained enemies among trafficking rings and corrupt local officials and police, who stood to benefit from the trade of valuable illegal timber.

"It's such a difficult, very difficult situation. In the forest, in Phnom Penh, who will protect you if you're not friends with authority? That's made 100 times worse if you're in the middle of nowhere. Guns speak louder than anything. When you have weapons, that kind of muscle, then you get your way, in such a wild wild west, wild wild east kind of situation," said Ou Virak, president of the Cambodian Center for Human Rights (CCHR).

Wutty frequently received threats to his safety because of his advocacy work. Last August, armed police disrupted a human rights training session organized by Wutty for local villagers. Virak says authorities also accused him of incitement for his advocacy work.

"He told one of my colleagues, many times, that he's probably either in jail or he'll be shot. Unfortunately, his own predictions have come true," Virak added. "It's something he understands the risk and he's aware of the risk and still chose to continue to do the work."

Virak says local officials cannot be trusted to conduct an impartial investigation, when military police officers are accused of being involved in the shooting.
A military police spokesman told local media that officers shot at Wutty, and that one military police officer was killed in the exchange. Officials are still looking into the incident.
Rights groups say the government must ensure a full investigation is conducted by national authorities. Ny Chakrya is head of monitoring with local rights watchdog, ADHOC.

"If the government isn't interested or has no commitment to charge or arrest him, it means the government also has no commitment to protect the forest and has no commitment of the protection of human rights defenders," stated Chakrya.

Activist sensed danger
Chut Wutty was an outspoken critic of illegal logging. He frequently campaigned against government land concessions in protected forest areas. For that, his colleagues say, he gained enemies among trafficking rings and corrupt local officials and police, who stood to benefit from the trade of valuable illegal timber.

"It's such a difficult, very difficult situation. In the forest, in Phnom Penh, who will protect you if you're not friends with authority? That's made 100 times worse if you're in the middle of nowhere. Guns speak louder than anything. When you have weapons, that kind of muscle, then you get your way, in such a wild wild west, wild wild east kind of situation," said Ou Virak, president of the Cambodian Center for Human Rights (CCHR).

Wutty frequently received threats to his safety because of his advocacy work. Last August, armed police disrupted a human rights training session organized by Wutty for local villagers. Virak says authorities also accused him of incitement for his advocacy work.

"He told one of my colleagues, many times, that he's probably either in jail or he'll be shot. Unfortunately, his own predictions have come true," Virak added. "It's something he understands the risk and he's aware of the risk and still chose to continue to do the work."

Virak says local officials cannot be trusted to conduct an impartial investigation, when military police officers are accused of being involved in the shooting.
Rights groups say the government must ensure a full investigation is conducted by national authorities. Ny Chakrya is head of monitoring with local rights watchdog, ADHOC.
"If the government isn't interested or has no commitment to charge or arrest him, it means the government also has no commitment to protect the forest and has no commitment of the protection of human rights defenders," stated Chakrya.

Activist sensed danger
Chut Wutty was an outspoken critic of illegal logging. He frequently campaigned against government land concessions in protected forest areas. For that, his colleagues say, he gained enemies among trafficking rings and corrupt local officials and police, who stood to benefit from the trade of valuable illegal timber.

"It's such a difficult, very difficult situation. In the forest, in Phnom Penh, who will protect you if you're not friends with authority? That's made 100 times worse if you're in the middle of nowhere. Guns speak louder than anything. When you have weapons, that kind of muscle, then you get your way, in such a wild wild west, wild wild east kind of situation," said Ou Virak, president of the Cambodian Center for Human Rights (CCHR).

Wutty frequently received threats to his safety because of his advocacy work. Last August, armed police disrupted a human rights training session organized by Wutty for local villagers. Virak says authorities also accused him of incitement for his advocacy work.

"He told one of my colleagues, many times, that he's probably either in jail or he'll be shot. Unfortunately, his own predictions have come true," Virak added. "It's something he understands the risk and he's aware of the risk and still chose to continue to do the work."

Virak says local officials cannot be trusted to conduct an impartial investigation, when military police officers are accused of being involved in the shooting.
"If the government isn't interested or has no commitment to charge or arrest him, it means the government also has no commitment to protect the forest and has no commitment of the protection of human rights defenders," stated Chakrya.
Activist sensed danger
Chut Wutty was an outspoken critic of illegal logging. He frequently campaigned against government land concessions in protected forest areas. For that, his colleagues say, he gained enemies among trafficking rings and corrupt local officials and police, who stood to benefit from the trade of valuable illegal timber.

"It's such a difficult, very difficult situation. In the forest, in Phnom Penh, who will protect you if you're not friends with authority? That's made 100 times worse if you're in the middle of nowhere. Guns speak louder than anything. When you have weapons, that kind of muscle, then you get your way, in such a wild wild west, wild wild east kind of situation," said Ou Virak, president of the Cambodian Center for Human Rights (CCHR).

Wutty frequently received threats to his safety because of his advocacy work. Last August, armed police disrupted a human rights training session organized by Wutty for local villagers. Virak says authorities also accused him of incitement for his advocacy work.

"He told one of my colleagues, many times, that he's probably either in jail or he'll be shot. Unfortunately, his own predictions have come true," Virak added. "It's something he understands the risk and he's aware of the risk and still chose to continue to do the work."

Virak says local officials cannot be trusted to conduct an impartial investigation, when military police officers are accused of being involved in the shooting.
Activist sensed danger
Chut Wutty was an outspoken critic of illegal logging. He frequently campaigned against government land concessions in protected forest areas. For that, his colleagues say, he gained enemies among trafficking rings and corrupt local officials and police, who stood to benefit from the trade of valuable illegal timber.

"It's such a difficult, very difficult situation. In the forest, in Phnom Penh, who will protect you if you're not friends with authority? That's made 100 times worse if you're in the middle of nowhere. Guns speak louder than anything. When you have weapons, that kind of muscle, then you get your way, in such a wild wild west, wild wild east kind of situation," said Ou Virak, president of the Cambodian Center for Human Rights (CCHR).

Wutty frequently received threats to his safety because of his advocacy work. Last August, armed police disrupted a human rights training session organized by Wutty for local villagers. Virak says authorities also accused him of incitement for his advocacy work.

"He told one of my colleagues, many times, that he's probably either in jail or he'll be shot. Unfortunately, his own predictions have come true," Virak added. "It's something he understands the risk and he's aware of the risk and still chose to continue to do the work."

Virak says local officials cannot be trusted to conduct an impartial investigation, when military police officers are accused of being involved in the shooting.
Chut Wutty was an outspoken critic of illegal logging. He frequently campaigned against government land concessions in protected forest areas. For that, his colleagues say, he gained enemies among trafficking rings and corrupt local officials and police, who stood to benefit from the trade of valuable illegal timber.
"It's such a difficult, very difficult situation. In the forest, in Phnom Penh, who will protect you if you're not friends with authority? That's made 100 times worse if you're in the middle of nowhere. Guns speak louder than anything. When you have weapons, that kind of muscle, then you get your way, in such a wild wild west, wild wild east kind of situation," said Ou Virak, president of the Cambodian Center for Human Rights (CCHR).

Wutty frequently received threats to his safety because of his advocacy work. Last August, armed police disrupted a human rights training session organized by Wutty for local villagers. Virak says authorities also accused him of incitement for his advocacy work.

"He told one of my colleagues, many times, that he's probably either in jail or he'll be shot. Unfortunately, his own predictions have come true," Virak added. "It's something he understands the risk and he's aware of the risk and still chose to continue to do the work."

Virak says local officials cannot be trusted to conduct an impartial investigation, when military police officers are accused of being involved in the shooting.
"It's such a difficult, very difficult situation. In the forest, in Phnom Penh, who will protect you if you're not friends with authority? That's made 100 times worse if you're in the middle of nowhere. Guns speak louder than anything. When you have weapons, that kind of muscle, then you get your way, in such a wild wild west, wild wild east kind of situation," said Ou Virak, president of the Cambodian Center for Human Rights (CCHR).
Wutty frequently received threats to his safety because of his advocacy work. Last August, armed police disrupted a human rights training session organized by Wutty for local villagers. Virak says authorities also accused him of incitement for his advocacy work.

"He told one of my colleagues, many times, that he's probably either in jail or he'll be shot. Unfortunately, his own predictions have come true," Virak added. "It's something he understands the risk and he's aware of the risk and still chose to continue to do the work."

Virak says local officials cannot be trusted to conduct an impartial investigation, when military police officers are accused of being involved in the shooting.
Wutty frequently received threats to his safety because of his advocacy work. Last August, armed police disrupted a human rights training session organized by Wutty for local villagers. Virak says authorities also accused him of incitement for his advocacy work.
"He told one of my colleagues, many times, that he's probably either in jail or he'll be shot. Unfortunately, his own predictions have come true," Virak added. "It's something he understands the risk and he's aware of the risk and still chose to continue to do the work."

Virak says local officials cannot be trusted to conduct an impartial investigation, when military police officers are accused of being involved in the shooting.
"He told one of my colleagues, many times, that he's probably either in jail or he'll be shot. Unfortunately, his own predictions have come true," Virak added. "It's something he understands the risk and he's aware of the risk and still chose to continue to do the work."
Virak says local officials cannot be trusted to conduct an impartial investigation, when military police officers are accused of being involved in the shooting.
Virak says local officials cannot be trusted to conduct an impartial investigation, when military police officers are accused of being involved in the shooting.

Rights groups are calling for a full government investigation into the shooting death of a prominent land rights activist in Cambodia. Chut Wutty, an outspoken critic of illegal logging, died after being shot by military police. One police officer also died in the incident which is still under investigation. Wutty's colleagues say the activist had previously received threats.

Cambodian Artists Respond to Phnom Penh’s Rapid Urbanization

2012-04-27T19:13:00.000-07:00

Photo: VOA - Yong YN
Phnom Penh's skyline is fast seeing new skyscrapers, prompting artists to create works commenting on the rapid urbanization in the city. – Yong YN

Khvay Samnang
From VOA News
Using himself as the subject, Khvay Samnang staged a short ritual of pouring one bucket of sand over his head while having his photograph captured to comment on the privatization of lakes in Phnom Penh for development.Another artist, Khvay Samnang, has worked extensively in producing art works to express his views on the vanishing lakes in Phnom Penh's city centre. He has recently exhibited a series of photographs of himself standing in the middle of the now-gone Boeung Kak lake and pouring earth over his body as the shot was being taken.
Cambodia's capital city, Phnom Penh, was once known as the “Paris of the East” for its resemblance to the famous European city. During French colonial rule, Phnom Penh boasted spacious villas with French courtyards that were homes and reception venues to both the wealthy French and Khmers.
The mansions and villas are now faded memories of the city's former grandeur before it was left in shambles from the Khmer Rouge regime. Many of these former symbols of sophistication and wealth are now abandoned and waiting to be demolished to make way for skyscrapers.
Skyscrapers are Cambodia's new symbols of prosperity and modernity. While the city skyline is still largely spartan, all that is about to change, with Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen endorsing the construction of more skyscrapers in the city by Korean and Chinese contractors.
But this push toward a moden city has a cost in lost history, vanishing natural areas and evictions.
To increase the development, the government has recently filled in Boeung Kak Lake, which is located in the heart of the city, and evicted thousands of households living in the surrounding areas.
The ensuing controversy has prompted a movement among Cambodian artists and photographers to respond to the rapid urbanization of Phnom Penh.
Going against the tide, this group is concerned with the rapid urbanization of Phnom Penh and the mass demolition of its colonial-influenced buildings. In response, they have created and exhibited works to comment on the issue.
Erin Gleeson, a curator and researcher who has lived in Cambodia for a decade, said there is a strong pattern among Cambodian artists to document and archive the city's landscape, with the anticipation that it could become unrecognizable in years to come.
“Almost 80% of the local artists in advanced practices are committedly making commentaries on the rapid urbanization of Cambodia. These local artists are responding to the change in their lifestyles, culture and environment and some of them are also expressing their personal experiences as they are also residents near the lake that is now vanished,” she said.
Gleeson added that this movement of artists is not pre-planned, but the works seen so far have turned out to be a cohesive collection that presents a similar view.
“Phnom Penh is a flat city, and has never been a concrete city. But, as it develops, the artists here mourn for the loss of that landscape that they are so used to. It is an irony, as we feel that some things are dying, even though the city is growing,” she said.
Among the artists that have prominent works on the subject include Kim Hak, a photography artist that has exhibited several projects in and out of Cambodia, mainly on people living in and among colonial buildings in Phnom Penh.
“More often than not, a new building or skyscraper is constructed at the expense of existing buildings that have historical and social values, including schools and hospitals. I believe that the colonial buildings should co-exist with the new ones, instead of changing Phnom Penh's landscape entirely,” he said.
“My work is for the people. I use my body to react towards the loss of lakes situated in the heart of the city. I am not trying to change the government's mind about how they should develop this country but rather, I am expressing my experience of this loss and be critical about this issue,” he said.
Khvay said he is not against the government developing the land in Phnom Penh. But, he says it has to be done with proper urban planning. “Filling the lake with earth will result in environmental consequences such as increased floods in Cambodia in future years,” he explained.
Responses to these artists' work have been encouraging. Kim said his photographs of colonial architecture have helped raise awareness of preserving some heritage monuments. “When these photographs are exhibited in Phnom Penh, UNESCO wanted to use some of them as exhibits to discuss with the government on preserving these buildings,” he said.
Gleeson said the local artistic community did not produce art works to quickly change people's minds, but rather to engage with the community. “In their own individual ways, these artists want to be initiators of conversations, and not want to let things pass without saying something,” she said.

Pakistan Deports Bin Laden Family

2012-04-27T19:08:00.000-07:00

Photo: REUTERS
Newspapers headlines on death of Osama bin Laden, Lahore, Pakistan, May 3, 2011 (file photo).

By: VOA News

Intelligence officials say bin Laden's three widows -- two Saudi nationals and a Yemeni -- and their children were taken to the airport near Islamabad shortly after midnight on Friday, where a plane was waiting to take them to the kingdom.

Saudi officials have not commented on the deportation.

Earlier this month, a Pakistani court convicted bin Laden's widows and two of his daughters on charges of illegally residing in the country and sentenced them to 45 days detention to be followed by deportation.

The widows, several of bin Laden's children and at least one grandchild were detained after U.S. special forces killed the al-Qaida leader during a covert operation in the Pakistani city of Abbottabad on May 2 of last year.

They were formally arrested last month and received credit for time already served, shortening their sentence to two weeks.

Pakistan's Interior Ministry said Friday that 14 members of the bin Laden family had been deported to the "country of their choice, Saudi Arabia."

It is unclear if bin Laden's youngest wife will stay in Saudi Arabia or return to her homeland of Yemen.

According to a Pakistani police report, Amal Ahmed Abdulfattah told police the al-Qaida leader spent nearly 10 years on the run in Pakistan following the September 11, 2001 attacks in the United States. She said the family moved to different safe houses around the country.

The 30-year-old Yemeni said she gave birth to four of bin Laden's children while in Pakistan, with two of them born in government hospitals.
Intelligence officials say bin Laden's three widows -- two Saudi nationals and a Yemeni -- and their children were taken to the airport near Islamabad shortly after midnight on Friday, where a plane was waiting to take them to the kingdom.
Saudi officials have not commented on the deportation.

Earlier this month, a Pakistani court convicted bin Laden's widows and two of his daughters on charges of illegally residing in the country and sentenced them to 45 days detention to be followed by deportation.

The widows, several of bin Laden's children and at least one grandchild were detained after U.S. special forces killed the al-Qaida leader during a covert operation in the Pakistani city of Abbottabad on May 2 of last year.

They were formally arrested last month and received credit for time already served, shortening their sentence to two weeks.

Pakistan's Interior Ministry said Friday that 14 members of the bin Laden family had been deported to the "country of their choice, Saudi Arabia."

It is unclear if bin Laden's youngest wife will stay in Saudi Arabia or return to her homeland of Yemen.

According to a Pakistani police report, Amal Ahmed Abdulfattah told police the al-Qaida leader spent nearly 10 years on the run in Pakistan following the September 11, 2001 attacks in the United States. She said the family moved to different safe houses around the country.

The 30-year-old Yemeni said she gave birth to four of bin Laden's children while in Pakistan, with two of them born in government hospitals.
Saudi officials have not commented on the deportation.
Earlier this month, a Pakistani court convicted bin Laden's widows and two of his daughters on charges of illegally residing in the country and sentenced them to 45 days detention to be followed by deportation.

The widows, several of bin Laden's children and at least one grandchild were detained after U.S. special forces killed the al-Qaida leader during a covert operation in the Pakistani city of Abbottabad on May 2 of last year.

They were formally arrested last month and received credit for time already served, shortening their sentence to two weeks.

Pakistan's Interior Ministry said Friday that 14 members of the bin Laden family had been deported to the "country of their choice, Saudi Arabia."

It is unclear if bin Laden's youngest wife will stay in Saudi Arabia or return to her homeland of Yemen.

According to a Pakistani police report, Amal Ahmed Abdulfattah told police the al-Qaida leader spent nearly 10 years on the run in Pakistan following the September 11, 2001 attacks in the United States. She said the family moved to different safe houses around the country.

The 30-year-old Yemeni said she gave birth to four of bin Laden's children while in Pakistan, with two of them born in government hospitals.
Earlier this month, a Pakistani court convicted bin Laden's widows and two of his daughters on charges of illegally residing in the country and sentenced them to 45 days detention to be followed by deportation.
The widows, several of bin Laden's children and at least one grandchild were detained after U.S. special forces killed the al-Qaida leader during a covert operation in the Pakistani city of Abbottabad on May 2 of last year.

They were formally arrested last month and received credit for time already served, shortening their sentence to two weeks.

Pakistan's Interior Ministry said Friday that 14 members of the bin Laden family had been deported to the "country of their choice, Saudi Arabia."

It is unclear if bin Laden's youngest wife will stay in Saudi Arabia or return to her homeland of Yemen.

According to a Pakistani police report, Amal Ahmed Abdulfattah told police the al-Qaida leader spent nearly 10 years on the run in Pakistan following the September 11, 2001 attacks in the United States. She said the family moved to different safe houses around the country.

The 30-year-old Yemeni said she gave birth to four of bin Laden's children while in Pakistan, with two of them born in government hospitals.
The widows, several of bin Laden's children and at least one grandchild were detained after U.S. special forces killed the al-Qaida leader during a covert operation in the Pakistani city of Abbottabad on May 2 of last year.
They were formally arrested last month and received credit for time already served, shortening their sentence to two weeks.

Pakistan's Interior Ministry said Friday that 14 members of the bin Laden family had been deported to the "country of their choice, Saudi Arabia."

It is unclear if bin Laden's youngest wife will stay in Saudi Arabia or return to her homeland of Yemen.

According to a Pakistani police report, Amal Ahmed Abdulfattah told police the al-Qaida leader spent nearly 10 years on the run in Pakistan following the September 11, 2001 attacks in the United States. She said the family moved to different safe houses around the country.

The 30-year-old Yemeni said she gave birth to four of bin Laden's children while in Pakistan, with two of them born in government hospitals.
They were formally arrested last month and received credit for time already served, shortening their sentence to two weeks.
Pakistan's Interior Ministry said Friday that 14 members of the bin Laden family had been deported to the "country of their choice, Saudi Arabia."

It is unclear if bin Laden's youngest wife will stay in Saudi Arabia or return to her homeland of Yemen.

According to a Pakistani police report, Amal Ahmed Abdulfattah told police the al-Qaida leader spent nearly 10 years on the run in Pakistan following the September 11, 2001 attacks in the United States. She said the family moved to different safe houses around the country.

The 30-year-old Yemeni said she gave birth to four of bin Laden's children while in Pakistan, with two of them born in government hospitals.
Pakistan's Interior Ministry said Friday that 14 members of the bin Laden family had been deported to the "country of their choice, Saudi Arabia."
It is unclear if bin Laden's youngest wife will stay in Saudi Arabia or return to her homeland of Yemen.

According to a Pakistani police report, Amal Ahmed Abdulfattah told police the al-Qaida leader spent nearly 10 years on the run in Pakistan following the September 11, 2001 attacks in the United States. She said the family moved to different safe houses around the country.

The 30-year-old Yemeni said she gave birth to four of bin Laden's children while in Pakistan, with two of them born in government hospitals.
It is unclear if bin Laden's youngest wife will stay in Saudi Arabia or return to her homeland of Yemen.
According to a Pakistani police report, Amal Ahmed Abdulfattah told police the al-Qaida leader spent nearly 10 years on the run in Pakistan following the September 11, 2001 attacks in the United States. She said the family moved to different safe houses around the country.

The 30-year-old Yemeni said she gave birth to four of bin Laden's children while in Pakistan, with two of them born in government hospitals.
According to a Pakistani police report, Amal Ahmed Abdulfattah told police the al-Qaida leader spent nearly 10 years on the run in Pakistan following the September 11, 2001 attacks in the United States. She said the family moved to different safe houses around the country.
The 30-year-old Yemeni said she gave birth to four of bin Laden's children while in Pakistan, with two of them born in government hospitals.
The 30-year-old Yemeni said she gave birth to four of bin Laden's children while in Pakistan, with two of them born in government hospitals.

Pakistan has deported Osama bin Laden's family to Saudi Arabia, nearly a year after the al-Qaida leader was killed in a U.S. raid.

Some information for this report was provided by AP, AFP and Reuters.

លោក ឈុត វុទ្ធី បានធ្វើអ្វីខ្លះដើម្បីការពារព្រៃឈើ?

2012-04-27T19:00:00.000-07:00

2012-04-27
តើកាលពីនៅរស់ លោក ឈុត វុទ្ធី បានធ្វើអ្វីខ្លះទាក់ទិននឹងការការពារធនធានធម្មជាតិ ជាពិសេសគឺព្រៃឈើនៅកម្ពុជា?

RFA/Tin Zakariya
ប្រជាសហគមន៍ការពារព្រៃឡង់ តវ៉ាទាមទារឲ្យរដ្ឋាភិបាលជួយដោះស្រាយបញ្ហាការកាប់បំផ្លាញព្រៃឡង់ នាសួនសេរីភាព ក្នុងរាជធានីភ្នំពេញ កាលពីថ្ងៃទី២៥ ខែឧសភា ឆ្នាំ២០១១។
តើប្រជាសហគមន៍ដែលធ្លាប់បានទទួលការអប់រំពី លោក ឈុត វុទ្ធី អំពីការការពារសម្បត្តិរួមរបស់ជាតិនោះ មានប្រតិកម្មយ៉ាងដូចម្ដេចចំពោះការបាញ់ប្រហាររូបលោក?
ជាបន្តទៅនេះ សូមអញ្ជើញលោកអ្នកស្ដាប់កិច្ចសម្ភាសន៍រវាងអ្នកយកព័ត៌មានវិទ្យុអាស៊ីសេរី លោក អ៊ួន ឈិន និង លោក ឈឹម សាវុធ មន្ត្រីសម្របសម្រួលកម្មវិធីពង្រឹងអំណាចសហគមន៍នៃមជ្ឈមណ្ឌលសិទ្ធិមនុស្សកម្ពុជា៖

កំណត់ចំណាំ៖ ចំពោះអ្នកបញ្ចូលមតិនៅក្នុងអត្ថបទនេះ ដើម្បីរក្សាសេចក្ដីថ្លៃថ្នូរ យើងខ្ញុំនឹងផ្សាយតែមតិណាដែលមិនជេរប្រមាថដល់អ្នកដទៃតែប៉ុណ្ណោះ។Copyright © 1998-2011 Radio Free Asia. All rights reserved.

កូនលោក ឈុត វុទ្ធី ទាមទារយុត្តិធម៌ឲ្យឪពុក

2012-04-27T18:57:00.000-07:00

2012-04-26
លោក ឈុត វុទ្ធី ប្រធានអង្គការការពារធនធានធម្មជាតិ និងមន្ត្រីកងរាជអាវុធហត្ថម្នាក់ទៀត ត្រូវបានបាញ់ស្លាប់នៅថ្ងៃព្រហស្បតិ៍ ទី២៦ មេសា នៅក្នុងតំបន់សាងសង់ទំនប់វារីអគ្គិសនីដោយក្រុមហ៊ុនចិន នៅក្នុងស្រុកមណ្ឌលសីមា ខេត្តកោះកុង។
កូនប្រុសលោក ឈុត វុទ្ធី ឈ្មោះ ឆើយ ឧត្តមរស្មី បានទាមទារឲ្យសមត្ថកិច្ច និងសហគមន៍អន្តរជាតិស៊ើបអង្កេតករណីបាញ់សម្លាប់ឪពុកលោក។
លោក ឆើយ ឧត្តមរស្មី ចងចាំឪពុកលោកថា ជាមនុស្សស្រឡាញ់ព្រៃឈើ និងបូជាជីវិតដើម្បីការពារសម្បត្តិធម្មជាតិនៅកម្ពុជា។
សូមលោកអ្នកនាងស្ដាប់បទសម្ភាសន៍របស់លោក យន់ សាមៀន ពីរដ្ឋធានីវ៉ាស៊ីនតោន និងលោក ឆើយ ឧត្តមរស្មី ស្ដីពីមូលហេតុនៃការបាញ់សម្លាប់លោក ឈុត វុទ្ធី៖

កំណត់ចំណាំ៖ ចំពោះអ្នកបញ្ចូលមតិនៅក្នុងអត្ថបទនេះ ដើម្បីរក្សាសេចក្ដីថ្លៃថ្នូរ យើងខ្ញុំនឹងផ្សាយតែមតិណាដែលមិនជេរប្រមាថដល់អ្នកដទៃតែប៉ុណ្ណោះ។Copyright © 1998-2011 Radio Free Asia. All rights reserved.

សពលោក ឈុត វុទ្ធី នឹងមកដល់ស្រុកកំណើតនៅម៉ោង ៩ យប់

2012-04-27T18:53:00.000-07:00

ដោយ ឡេង ម៉ាលី
2012-04-27
សពលោក ឈុត វុទ្ធី ប្រធានអង្គការការពារធនធានធម្មជាតិ ដែលក្រុមគ្រួសារដឹកចេញពីខេត្តកោះកុង នៅវេលាម៉ោង ៤ រសៀល គេរំពឹងថា នឹងមកដល់ស្រុកកំណើតក្នុងរយៈពេល ៣ ម៉ោងទៀត គឺនៅម៉ោង ៩ យប់។

Licadho/In Kong cheth
២៧-មេសា-២០១២៖ សពលោក ឈុត វុទ្ធី ដែលគ្រួសារដឹកចេញពីខេត្តកោះកុង ឆ្ពោះមកស្រុកកំណើត។
សាចញាតិសពបានឱ្យដឹងនៅវេលាម៉ោង ៦ ល្ងាចថ្ងៃទី ២៧ ខែមេសានេះថា រថយន្តដឹកសពកំពុងធ្វើដំណើរបានពាក់កណ្ដាលផ្លូវហើយ។
លោក ឈុត វុទ្ធី ប្រធានអង្គការការពារធនធានធម្មជាតិ ត្រូវបានមន្ត្រីកងរាជអាវុធហត្ថម្នាក់ដែលយាមល្បាតទីតាំងកាប់ឈើ មួយ ក្នុងខេត្តកោះកុង បាញ់សម្លាប់នៅថ្ងៃទី២៦ ខែមេសា ឆ្នាំ ២០១២។
ការបាញ់ប្រហារនេះ ខណៈដែលលោក និងអ្នកកាសែត ឌឹ ខេមបូឌា ដេលី (The Cambodia Daily) បានចូលទៅកាន់ទីតាំងកាប់ឈើមួយ ក្នុងចំណុចវាល៣ ភូមិកោះប៉ោ ឃុំប៉ាក់ខ្លង ស្រុកមណ្ឌលសីមា ខេត្តកោះកុង។
សពលោក ឈុត វុទ្ធី នឹងយកត្រូវគ្រួសារយកធ្វើបុណ្យ តាមប្រពៃណីសាសនា នៅស្រុកកំណើត គឺនៅភូមិស្វាយមាស ឃុំវិហារសួគ៌ ស្រុកខ្សាច់កណ្ដាល ខេត្តកណ្ដាល៕
កំណត់ចំណាំចំពោះអ្នកបញ្ចូលមតិនៅក្នុងអត្ថបទនេះ៖ ដើម្បីរក្សាសេចក្ដីថ្លៃថ្នូរ យើងខ្ញុំនឹងផ្សាយតែមតិណា ដែលមិនជេរប្រមាថដល់អ្នកដទៃប៉ុណ្ណោះ។Copyright © 1998-2011 Radio Free Asia. All rights reserved.

Edited version - Borei Keila

2012-04-27T17:45:00.002-07:00

Prosecutor at Stueng Treng Province Part 02

2012-04-27T17:32:00.002-07:00

Prosecutor at Stueng Treng Province

2012-04-27T17:26:00.002-07:00

Beating initiated by one of Hun Xen's 2-star bodyguard general: Caught on video

2012-04-27T17:14:00.000-07:00

Beating initiated by one of Hun Xen's 2-star bodyguard general: Caught on video

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UTW7VyzbMG4

A trip to the Aoral Mountain wildlife sanctuary with Chut Wutty in Mach 2012 - Photos posted by James C Stephens on Flickr

2012-04-27T17:07:00.000-07:00

An attempt to discourage loggers: A review of some of the laws which prohibit logging in the area. Posted on a boundary where loggers commonly cross into the wildlife sanctuary. (All Photos: James C. Stephens on Flickr)

Effect of deforestation: Two years (in 2010), this use to be a jungle.

Illegally Cut Timber

Logging road with surrounding deforestation

River Crossing Number 2: Chut Wutty can be seen on the left, Keyla Beebe is on the right. Keyla received an international reporting fellowships from the Pulitzer Center.

Meeting between the Forest Monk and Wutty: This monk lives alone in the forest as the sole person standing between illegal loggers and the wildlife sanctuary. He has been attacked many times by the loggers who are trying to support their families.

Girdled Tree: The loggers took some anger out on the monk in the foreground by killing one a beautiful tree next to his hut. Wutty can be seen standing next to the monk.

Fixing truck in the remote jungle: (from left to right) the jungle monk, Keyla Beebe and Chut Wutty fixing the truck. Wutty is assisted by an unidentified young man.

Wutty teaching us about charcoal production on March 14, 2012

សម្លាប់លោកឈុត វុទ្ធីដូចបំបាក់ដៃម្ខាងរបស់សកម្មជនការពារព្រៃឈើ

2012-04-27T11:21:00.002-07:00

Murder of Chut Wutty is like cutting off one hand from the forest protection community

សុក្រ 27 មេសា 2012
ដោយ អ៊ឹម ណាវិន
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លោកឈុត វុទ្ធីត្រូវបានគេចាត់ទុក ជាសកម្មជនការពារព្រៃឈើដ៏សកម្មម្នាក់ នៅកម្ពុជា តាមរយៈសកម្មភាពឃ្លំាមើលបទល្មើសព្រៃឈើ។ តំាងពីទសវត្សរ៍ឆ្នាំ៩០មក លោកឈុត វុទ្ធីបានដឹង បានឃើញរឿងរ៉ាវជាច្រើនទាក់ទងនឹងបទល្មើសព្រៃឈើ នៅកម្ពុជា។ នៅក្រោយការបាញ់សម្លាប់លោកឈុត វុទ្ធី កាលពីព្រហស្បតិ៍ម្សិលមិញ នៅខេត្តកោះកុង ប្រជាសហគមន៍ការពារព្រៃឈើក្នុងសហគមន៍ដែលលោកឈុត វុទ្ធីបានជួយទ្រទ្រង់កន្លងមក បានត្អូញត្អែរថាការបាញ់សម្លាប់លោកឈុត វុទ្ធី ពេលនេះ គឺដូចជាបំបាក់ដៃម្ខាងរបស់ពួកគាត់។

RFA Khmer Webcast-KHM-042612-TH

2012-04-27T11:11:00.001-07:00

សកម្មភាពរបស់ លោក ឈុត វុទ្ធី

2012-04-27T11:07:00.001-07:00

សកម្មភាពរបស់ លោក ឈុត វុទ្ធី

2012-04-27T11:02:00.001-07:00

Cambodia: Officer killed activist, then himself

2012-04-27T10:45:00.006-07:00

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Associated Press
PHNOM PENH, Cambodia (AP) — The Cambodian military said Friday it was closing its investigation into a shooting that occurred in a forest rife with illegal logging, concluding one of its own police officers killed a prominent environmentalist then took his own life.
Chut Wutty had been taking photographs in a forest where a Chinese company is building a hydropower dam, and he refused to stop when officer In Ratana asked him to, military police spokesman Kheng Tito said. The two men then started arguing and cursing each other, until In Ratana shot Chut Wutty with his AK-47 assault rifle.
"When he learned that Chut Wutty died, he killed himself with his own weapon," the spokesman said.
The death of Chut Wutty, the director of the National Resources Protection Group, had outraged human rights and environmental groups. A Cambodian rights group, the Center for Cambodian Civic Education, described it as "cold-blooded murder."
Illegal logging is rampant in Cambodia, and often occurs under the protection of government agencies or important persons, environmental groups have charged. In recent years, protests against land grabs by rich and influential people have often been suppressed by deadly force.
Patrick Alley, director of Global Witness, said the shooting exposed the risks environmental activists in Cambodia face "in the most shocking and tragic manner."
In Kong Chet, of the Cambodian human rights group Licadho, said the confrontation occurred when Chut Wutty refused to hand over a memory card containing photos taken in a protected forest notorious for illegal logging.
He said the activist had taken two journalists from The Cambodia Daily newspaper to see large-scale forest destruction and rosewood smuggling. The journalists were taken to a military police office for questioning, rights groups said.
Initially, Kheng Tito said the activist and officer had shot each other. But on Friday, he said a pistol with nine bullets was found inside Chut Wutty's car, but he did not shoot it and there was no exchange of fire.
Amnesty International said the journalists, Cambodian Phorn Bopha and Canadian Olesia Plokhii, were released later. It said Chut Wutty had received threats because of his activities, and called for "an immediate and proper investigation into what happened."
Global Witness' Alley said in a statement that Chut Wutty was "one of the few remaining Cambodian activists willing to speak out against the rapid escalation of illegal logging and land grabbing which is impoverishing ordinary Cambodians and destroying the country's rich natural heritage."

Cambodian Activist Shot Dead

2012-04-27T10:28:00.001-07:00

He is gunned down while trying to expose illegal logging activities in a forest reserve.

RFA

Chut Wuthy speaking to RFA in an undated photo.

Updated at 4:15 p.m. EST on 2012-04-26

A leading Cambodian environmental activist who spearheaded a campaign to expose state-linked illegal logging was gunned down by military police Thursday as he was investigating deforestation near a Chinese-built dam.

Chut Wuthy was leading two journalists from a local newspaper to witness what he thought was illegal logging activities when he was fatally shot by military police in Cambodia's southwestern Koh Kong province, a police official said.

He is believed to be the most prominent activist to meet a violent death since Cambodian labor activist Chea Vichea's 2004 assassination.

Koh Kong deputy judicial police chief Kong Yan said the activist was gunned down by a military police officer guarding the logging site in Koh Kong province's Modul Seima district.

Kong Yan said he had interviewed the Cambodia Daily journalists who had accompanied Chut Wuthy.

According to the witnesses, Chut Wuthy was shot while he was inside his car, Kong Yan said.

The 43-year-old activist was pronounced dead on the spot, succumbing to gunshot wounds in his stomach and leg.

National Military Police spokesman Kheng Tito said the military police officer who shot Chut Wuthy was also killed.

He said that the officer was killed by his own bullet, which ricocheted off the car and hit him.

The Associated Press news agency quoted Kheng Tito as saying that Chut Wuthy was shot in a clash at a checkpoint during which the activist also fatally shot the military police officer.

The report could not be verified.

Chut Wuthy, who had previously received military police training, was unarmed, Kong Yan said.

The shooting occurred near a dam built by China National Heavy Machinery and located near an area where illegal logging activities were suspected, sources said.

Kong Yan said the incident occurred after the military officer confiscated cameras belonging to the journalists and Chut Wuthy, as the activist was attempting to drive into the logging site.

‘National hero’

Opposition Sam Rainsy Party lawmaker Mu Sochua called Chut Wuthy a “national hero," saying he had protected Cambodia's "national soul—the forest and land.”

She called on Prime Minister Hun Sen to order an independent investigation into the incident and immediately stop awarding logging concessions to private companies.

Mu Sochua told Hun Sen, “Wuthy’s soul reminds me about your assurance that if you can’t crack down on illegal logging, you would resign. I don’t want such an extreme move, but this time you should put an end to such land concessions."

Cambodia's Ministry of Interior spokesman Khieu Sopheak told RFA that credit should go not only to Chut Wuthy, but also to the military police officer who died.

Khieu Sopheak appeared outraged when a reporter asked him about the investigation into the killing of the activist.

“You should not only ask about the situation of one victim, but the two people who were killed,” he said, accusing RFA of being biased toward the activist.

Chut Wuthy’s son Chhoeuy Oddomreaksmey also called on the authorities and the international community to investigate the circumstances in which his father died.

“He was killed inside a car,” he said. “It is unjust. He is a nationalist—he wanted to protect the country’s natural resources—but he was killed. This is brutal."

“My father told me that if you die, you must die with dignity,” he said.

Forest protector

Chut Wuthy, who left a wife and three children, was president of Cambodia’s Natural Resources Conservation Group, whose members style themselves as Cambodia's "Avatars," based on Hollywood's popular environmentally-themed animation film.

The activists had been conducting constant "patrols" in the heart of the Prey Lang forest to check illegal logging and other activities in a bid to protect the sprawling 3,600-square kilometer (1,400-square mile) forest area.

The Cambodian government has identified Prey Lang, which hosts Southeast Asia's largest lowland evergreen forest, as an important area for conservation, with high potential for carbon-credit financing, but it remains unprotected, environmental groups say.

The Prey Lang Community Network, set up to help in the protection of the area, says more than 40,000 hectares (98,840 acres) in the forest have been granted for rubber plantations alone, while 27 exploration licenses and related concessions have been handed to mining firms.

Community leader Sim Sean had told RFA that local authorities had received bribes from the company as they cleared the forest to establish the rubber plantation.

Most of the wood from Prey Lang is smuggled into China and Vietnam, where it is made into furniture and exported worldwide, some environmental groups have charged.

Reported by RFA's Khmer service. Translated by Samean Yun. Written in English by Parameswaran Ponnudurai.

Blind Activist Escapes House Arrest in China

2012-04-27T10:03:00.001-07:00

By ANDREW JACOBS and JONATHAN ANSFIELD
Published: April 27, 2012

Supporters of Chen Guangcheng, via Associated Press

Chen Guangcheng, shown in an undated photograph, has been isolated since September 2010.

Supporters of Chen Guangcheng, via Associated Press
Chen Guangcheng, shown in an undated photograph, has been isolated since September 2010.
BEIJING — Chen Guangcheng, the blind rights lawyer who has been under extralegal house arrest in his rural village for the past 19 months, has escaped from his heavily guarded home and is in hiding in the capital, rights advocates and Chinese officials said on Friday.
American officials would not confirm reports that Mr. Chen has sought refuge in the American Embassy. A source in the Chinese Ministry of State Security said Mr. Chen was believed to be there on Friday. Previously, early Thursday evening, a Chinese analyst cited another State Security source who said that Mr. Chen had entered the embassy.

Those who have spoken to Mr. Chen say he slipped away from his captors on Sunday evening in Shandong Province, where he has been held incommunicado since his release from prison in September 2010. They said Mr. Chen was not seeking to leave China, but would try to negotiate his freedom with Chinese authorities.

“He is reluctant to go overseas and wants only to live like a normal Chinese citizen,” said Bob Fu, president of China Aid, a Christian rights organization based in Texas that had been in touch with him as recently as Friday morning.

The escape would represent a significant public relations challenge to the Chinese government, which has long sought to deny reports that local officials in Dongshigu village were keeping Mr. Chen and his wife locked in their home even though there are no legal charges against him.

The case could also present a major new challenge to the United States, which was thrust into another delicate internal political dispute in China in February. At that time, Wang Lijun, a senior police official from the region of Chongqing, sought refuge in the American consulate in Chengdu, revealing details about the killing of a British businessman and setting off a cascade of events that led to the downfall of Bo Xilai, who was a member of China’s Politburo.

American diplomats said they determined Mr. Wang’s case did not involve national security, and they turned him over to Chinese security officials, prompting criticism in Washington about their handling of the case.

But if Mr. Chen is now on the grounds of the embassy in Beijing, Obama administration officials are likely to be far more cautious in handling his case, given that he is one of China’s most internationally recognized dissidents and has been the subject of extralegal abuses in China for many years. In Washington, the White House and the State Department also declined to comment on whether Mr. Chen was at the embassy.

A Foreign Ministry spokesman on Friday said he had no information about the episode, but one Chinese intelligence officer expressed frustration and bewilderment that Mr. Chen had evaded his captors and that he might have entered the embassy.

“It’s still not clear how this happened,” the intelligence officer said. “Was this happenstance, or was it planned this way? Are there others planning to do the same?”

The timing is also especially inopportune given that Beijing is preparing to welcome Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, Treasury Secretary Timothy F. Geithner and a host of other U.S. officials next week for the annual Strategic and Economic Dialogue.

It also creates headaches for Washington, which has been eager to build more constructive relations with the Chinese on a number of economic and security issues. Those efforts have lately paid dividends, with Beijing increasingly cooperative with American efforts to pressure Iran and North Korea over their nuclear programs. China has also shown a willingness to support United Nations efforts to broker a cease-fire in Syria.

“This could be rather awkward,” said Bonnie Glaser, a China scholar at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington.

On Friday, shortly after news of Mr. Chen’s daring escape began circulating, a video appeared on YouTube, filmed in the days since he gained his freedom, in which he described life under house arrest. The video, in the form of an appeal to Prime Minister Wen Jiabao, detailed the abuse he and his family suffered during their confinement and demanded that those responsible be brought to justice.

He told how his daughter was followed to school by three guards each day and how guards had kicked his wife for hours on end. “Prime Minister Wen, you owe the people an explanation,” he said. “Are these atrocities the result of local officials violating the law or a result of orders from the top leadership?”

It is not the first time that Mr. Chen has sought to publicize the details of his confinement. Last year, he and his wife were reportedly severely beaten after a video they secretly recorded inside their home was smuggled out of the village and posted on the Internet. Friends say the subsequent abuse by their captors had left Mr. Chen in frail health.

Cambodia: Environmental Activist Is Killed at Checkpoint Near Forest

2012-04-27T09:58:00.000-07:00

By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Published: April 27, 2012

The military police said that a prominent Cambodian environmentalist was fatally shot in a confrontation Thursday near a forest where illegal logging is said to take place. Kheng Tito, a military police spokesman, said Chut Wutty, the director of the National Resources Protection Group of Cambodia, was shot in a clash at a checkpoint in Koh Kong Province during which Mr. Chut Wutty also fatally shot a police officer. Mr. Kheng Tito said that the activist had been guiding two journalists from The Cambodia Daily newspaper but that he did not know what caused the violence or who shot first. A member of the Cambodian human rights group Licadho said Mr. Chut Wutty was shot when he refused to hand over digital photos taken in the forest.

Our Deep Condolences to the family, friends and supporters of Activist Chut Wutty

2012-04-26T23:45:00.003-07:00

KI-Media is truly saddened by the death of Mr. Chut Wutty, the President of the Natural Resources Conservation Group who was murdered on 26 April 2012 while guiding two journalists to investigate illegal logging in Phnom Kravanh (Cardamom) Mountains in Koh Kong province.

We are appalled to learn about the attempt made by the military police officers – who were supposed to stop illegal logging activities – to confiscate deforestation photos taken by Mr. Chut Wutty and the journalists, an action which resulted in this cold blood murder. We demand that a fair investigation be conducted in this murder case.

Our sincere thoughts and prayers are with you.

With our deepest sympathy,

Khmer for Khmer News

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លោក ឈុត វុទ្ធី បាន​ធ្វើ​អ្វី​ខ្លះ​ដើម្បី​ការពារ​ព្រៃឈើ?

កូន​លោក ឈុត វុទ្ធី ទាមទារ​យុត្តិធម៌​ឲ្យ​ឪពុក

សព​លោក ឈុត វុទ្ធី នឹង​មក​ដល់​ស្រុក​កំណើត​នៅ​ម៉ោង ៩ យប់

Edited version - Borei Keila

Prosecutor at Stueng Treng Province Part 02

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Beating initiated by one of Hun Xen's 2-star bodyguard general: Caught on video

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សម្លាប់​លោក​ឈុត វុទ្ធី​ដូច​បំបាក់​ដៃម្ខាង​របស់​សកម្មជន​ការពារ​ព្រៃឈើ

Murder of Chut Wutty is like cutting off one hand from the forest protection community

RFA Khmer Webcast-KHM-042612-TH

សកម្មភាព​របស់ លោក ឈុត វុទ្ធី

សកម្មភាព​របស់ លោក ឈុត វុទ្ធី

Cambodia: Officer killed activist, then himself

Cambodian Activist Shot Dead

Blind Activist Escapes House Arrest in China

Cambodia: Environmental Activist Is Killed at Checkpoint Near Forest

Our Deep Condolences to the family, friends and supporters of Activist Chut Wutty

លោក ឈុត វុទ្ធី បានធ្វើអ្វីខ្លះដើម្បីការពារព្រៃឈើ?

កូនលោក ឈុត វុទ្ធី ទាមទារយុត្តិធម៌ឲ្យឪពុក

សពលោក ឈុត វុទ្ធី នឹងមកដល់ស្រុកកំណើតនៅម៉ោង ៩ យប់

សម្លាប់លោកឈុត វុទ្ធីដូចបំបាក់ដៃម្ខាងរបស់សកម្មជនការពារព្រៃឈើ

សកម្មភាពរបស់ លោក ឈុត វុទ្ធី

សកម្មភាពរបស់ លោក ឈុត វុទ្ធី