By Taing Sarada, VOA Khmer
Original report from Washington
02 February 2009
[Editor’s note: Lem Pichpisey, a 40-year-old reporter for Radio Free Asia, arrived in Norway under UN protection last month following reported death threats and a flight with his family from Cambodia last year. The government and spokesmen for Prime Minister Hun Sen have repeatedly denied allegations of involvement in illegal logging, a subject of Lem Pichpisey’s reporting ahead of the threat. Lem Pichpisey spoke to VOA Khmer by phone.]
Q. Can you tell us briefly about why you fled to Norway?
A. I decided to leave my beloved Cambodia because I received a death threat, when someone put a bullet outside my Battambang house to scare me. My daughter found the bullet when she was sweeping dirt in front of the house. We thought this was the last sign and that we had to leave Cambodia, and I should give up on the profession of journalism.
Someone had threatened my life before the bullet in front of my house. The first death threat I received was while I was investigating and reporting about massive illegal deforestation at Prey Long, in Tum Rinh commune, San Dan district, Kampong Thom province. After that, I received a death threat while I was reporting this issue for Radio Free Asia, and it was exactly the same as the [government-banned] Global Witness report published June 1.
When I verified my investigation with that report, it was exactly the same on illegal deforestation, which involved Prime Minister Hun Sen’s family members and high-ranking military officials of Military Division 70 and a group of Hun Sen’s bodyguards, and especially Hun Sen’s in-laws. They were involved in this destruction, according to my investigation and the Global Witness report.
Q. When you first received a death threat, where did you go? You then returned to Cambodia. Why?
A. I escaped to Thailand, because I thought that at least Thailand had more democracy than Cambodia. The reason I came back to Cambodia was that I had committed myself to work fighting for democracy and the rule of law after I received the knowledge from US-provided training about international journalism and media management. After that training, I wanted to show my gratitude by sacrificing myself to training and bring about human rights, democracy and real freedom of expression to the Cambodian people.
Because I still loved the profession of journalism, I left Thailand and came back to Cambodia and told my boss at Radio Free Asia in Washington that I could not live in Thailand anymore, that I needed to go back to Cambodia. Some people had asked me why I had to come back to Cambodia, didn’t I feel scared? I told them that I felt scared, but I needed to ask the International Human Rights organization to pressure the government, and when the situation calmed down a bit, I could go back to Cambodia and continue my journalism.
Q. What happened with the second death threat? How many threats were there? And where did you flee for you life?
A. I received another death threat early in November 2007. I escaped to Thailand again because I had published Free Press Magazine, a compilation of many reports about illegal logging, the death of dancer Piseth Pilika and the report of Global Witness. That was a legal magazine, because I had permission from the Ministry of Information already. The police came to my office in Phnom Penh to confiscate more than 2,000 magazines without telling me ahead of time.
We knew that the police had come to my office to copy some documents, and I was also told by some friends working in the government that the government sent secret agents to investigate me. We knew that the police came to check my background at my home in Battambang province. At that point, I was scared, forcing me to leave Cambodia.
Q. In Thailand, which organization protected you?
A. I received a lot of support from international human rights organizations, including [UN High Commissioner for Human Rights] in Cambodia. I want to clarify that the protection is not against the Cambodian government. But it is a sign that the freedoms of expression and media in Cambodia are still weak, and journalists still suffer from death threats, persecution and intimidation.
So those international organizations issued press releases or statements of protection and urged the government to end human rights violations against activists and journalists. Some of the international organizations that issued press releases to support me were the Asian Human Rights Commission, based in Hong Kong, Licadho, the Cambodian Center for Human Rights, Adhoc, journalism clubs and the Committee to Protect Journalists in New York, the Southeast Asian Press Alliance and others. That meant there was a spirit of support from national and international non-governmental organizations.
Q. Can you tell us briefly about why you fled to Norway?
A. I decided to leave my beloved Cambodia because I received a death threat, when someone put a bullet outside my Battambang house to scare me. My daughter found the bullet when she was sweeping dirt in front of the house. We thought this was the last sign and that we had to leave Cambodia, and I should give up on the profession of journalism.
Someone had threatened my life before the bullet in front of my house. The first death threat I received was while I was investigating and reporting about massive illegal deforestation at Prey Long, in Tum Rinh commune, San Dan district, Kampong Thom province. After that, I received a death threat while I was reporting this issue for Radio Free Asia, and it was exactly the same as the [government-banned] Global Witness report published June 1.
When I verified my investigation with that report, it was exactly the same on illegal deforestation, which involved Prime Minister Hun Sen’s family members and high-ranking military officials of Military Division 70 and a group of Hun Sen’s bodyguards, and especially Hun Sen’s in-laws. They were involved in this destruction, according to my investigation and the Global Witness report.
Q. When you first received a death threat, where did you go? You then returned to Cambodia. Why?
A. I escaped to Thailand, because I thought that at least Thailand had more democracy than Cambodia. The reason I came back to Cambodia was that I had committed myself to work fighting for democracy and the rule of law after I received the knowledge from US-provided training about international journalism and media management. After that training, I wanted to show my gratitude by sacrificing myself to training and bring about human rights, democracy and real freedom of expression to the Cambodian people.
Because I still loved the profession of journalism, I left Thailand and came back to Cambodia and told my boss at Radio Free Asia in Washington that I could not live in Thailand anymore, that I needed to go back to Cambodia. Some people had asked me why I had to come back to Cambodia, didn’t I feel scared? I told them that I felt scared, but I needed to ask the International Human Rights organization to pressure the government, and when the situation calmed down a bit, I could go back to Cambodia and continue my journalism.
Q. What happened with the second death threat? How many threats were there? And where did you flee for you life?
A. I received another death threat early in November 2007. I escaped to Thailand again because I had published Free Press Magazine, a compilation of many reports about illegal logging, the death of dancer Piseth Pilika and the report of Global Witness. That was a legal magazine, because I had permission from the Ministry of Information already. The police came to my office in Phnom Penh to confiscate more than 2,000 magazines without telling me ahead of time.
We knew that the police had come to my office to copy some documents, and I was also told by some friends working in the government that the government sent secret agents to investigate me. We knew that the police came to check my background at my home in Battambang province. At that point, I was scared, forcing me to leave Cambodia.
Q. In Thailand, which organization protected you?
A. I received a lot of support from international human rights organizations, including [UN High Commissioner for Human Rights] in Cambodia. I want to clarify that the protection is not against the Cambodian government. But it is a sign that the freedoms of expression and media in Cambodia are still weak, and journalists still suffer from death threats, persecution and intimidation.
So those international organizations issued press releases or statements of protection and urged the government to end human rights violations against activists and journalists. Some of the international organizations that issued press releases to support me were the Asian Human Rights Commission, based in Hong Kong, Licadho, the Cambodian Center for Human Rights, Adhoc, journalism clubs and the Committee to Protect Journalists in New York, the Southeast Asian Press Alliance and others. That meant there was a spirit of support from national and international non-governmental organizations.
18 comments:
Look at these trucks loaded with high quality timbers on their way to Yuon.
Cambodia’s forest will be wiped out as long as Hanoi’s cronie still in power.
They know that it takes hundreds of year for the trees to get to that size but they fail to make an end to the cutting. They also ignore about deforestation and natural disaster in the future.
This is one the most corrupt gov’t. in the world!
This systematic of intimidation, maltreatment and killing of the regime against the press proves that government is so undemocratic and sure this is the case exist and a thread for Cambodian’s civilization.
No doubt, Cambodia would plunge to civil war sooner or later if international let this practice go off without tackling it.
Shameful for poor Cambodians live under a fear of danger and repression of its’ government.
The forest belong to all Khmer. Cutting down tree like destroying khmer.
10 more years, Cambodia monotonous landscape will become a scorging desert Landscape. And we have to thanks Hun Sen for changing Cambodia.
Pouk Ah Yuon’s slaves will pay the price for the crimes and destruction they’d committed for Cambodia. No way out when the judgment day has come for them.
ak pee wat
ah phd khmer patriot can answer this.
ah hun manit, you did master in land economics, can you explain your mental daddy and families
This is nothing more than Pouk Ah Scam Rainxy is desperately dying to get a visa move to Long Beach, so they always fabricated all sorts of excuses and lies about Khmer People.
I don't see anything new here. Stepping on Khmer's back to get ahead has been their trademark since day1. They ain't kid anyone.
9.06 am,
yes, i didn't see a whore but hunxen fucked your mom and daughter's clits to pieces, till they groaned like female dogs.
9:06AM,
Ah Aing Long Mi lam Troury, aphoeuk toeuk Tonle Sap yuon Chous ach Dack, toeub trov lop chh'kourt
post kh'nong website tear peak lit kh'deth yuon, ah kh'nhom yuon.
Ah Erng Khmer tear kh'bal yuon.
9:06 AM, so does Pouk Ah Yuon’s slave trying hard to find away to go to oversea and then let down his Yuon slave’s master behind.
No one walking on Khmer’s back to get in advance such as Pouk Ah Yuon’s slaves has been identified as Pouk Ah Khmer’s killer. They need to wake up before they got slap in the face.
People know that forest has been wiped out, land has been grabbed, national income and state property have been stolent. Why people still vote for the CPP 90 seats? Or People are enjoying GDP growth rate of 11% with the inflation rate of 23% and salay of $60 per month?
I think that let people enjoy thes benefit rather than help them.
Holy Smoke!!! It makes me almost throw up when I see the comment about $60/mo salary. If the $60 can make it on time with no hold back, it’s not too bad for ordinary citizens to earn it. However, most of the times they fail to pay people on time or even holdback for the whole month.
If there was no Sam Rainsy fighting for the salary increase at the time, people would have been getting same cheap pay nowadays. Was it the credit Pouk Ah Yuon’s slave deserve?
Please stop your nonsense salary’s comment.
People gave their votes to CPP in hope of recompense promised by Pouk Ah Slaves would be rewarded and hope for a better change for them. Once CPP got the votes, they seem to be forgetting what they’ve promised. This is no doubt to some people who didn’t get a clear vision in Puppet’s regime.
People are not stupid as you think. They’ll learn from the past and soon they don’t need such devil advocate scam them like a 6 years-old kid. Got it, Ah Jkout 9:54AM?
Bullshit, 10:23, Pouk Ah Scam Rainxy's didn't get anyone shit. He doesn't care for people but his own interest. Last time when people was looking for $6 raise, PM Hun Sen got them $12.
11:37 AM,you are do crazy man!!!You don't understand nothing what news wrote on this text!!!You are so foolish the same ah kvang Hund Xen!!!!!you destroy also the same ah Hun Xen!!!You are the khmer robberhood!!!
11:37AM Is the special animal sperm monkey and Viet dog combined but kind a little rabies ,he bite every once on Viet way to save ah Hun Sen.
Ah 1:37AM MOM wa fucked by devil Mao Chi tong ,devil ho chi minh ,devil pol pot ,devil hun sen , devil hoc lonh dy.
strategically, all of us here may wonder why F'pec receiving only two seats can still stay in the gov.t and with other several posts for their ministers?
simple answer: Hun sen still see f'pec useful in cambodia's politics. more or less the royal figures are still in the mind of almost-dying people. Good news is those royal sold themself too cheap in the past and those royalties are no better than "cheaters" in people's eyes.
F'pec however is still useful b/c this party can stir the decision of voters, some voters who jump from one party to others. And this party strategically is useful as a boat for other party members that need to have access to jump and join with cpp for posts&money. that's the bottom line.
Any mass defection from f'pec to cpp provoke very little surprise now. however, mass defection from opposition party will cause shock and confusion amony ordinary people. In preventive method, opposition party must train its core members, provide leadership training to more and more popular, important figures, empower its core members, yet without acknowledging that emotional, technical and financial support is very essential.
Post a Comment