By Guy De LauneyBBC News, Phnom Penh
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| A memorial service was held on Friday for Chut Wutty |
“People seem to be exercising self-censorship - they're
afraid of being prosecuted for defamation and incitement,”
The death of an environmental activist, shot dead by police, has
galvanised his campaign against deforestation and illegal logging in a
scenic part of Cambodia.
Ratanakiri is a beautiful province in the north of this country - with
volcanic lakes, waterfalls and huge areas of unspoiled forest.
Most of the people who live there belong to indigenous hill tribes who worship spirits in nature.
But peace has brought smooth-surfaced roads and outsiders to rural parts of the country that were once remote.
The hill tribes complain that the newcomers try to trick them out of
their traditional lands - and hack down the trees which make up what
they call the "spirit forests".
A young man from the Tampeun people told me he knew where loggers were
at work - and volunteered to show me. So we jumped into a battered
pickup - and slithered along a narrow trail through the forest.
Suddenly we burst out into a clearing. And immediately it seemed that we had made a horrible mistake.
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| Chut Wutty was one of Cambodia's most outspoken activists |
Among piles of cut timber, there was a group of young men who did not
look thrilled to see us. Several were dressed in military fatigues - and
at least a couple were toting AK-47 rifles. The only way out was behind
us.
I jumped out of the car, smiled and shouted hello.
A slightly older man turned and beamed broadly. It turned out that not
only did he speak English, but he was an avid listener to the BBC.
Instead of being held at gunpoint, we were invited to lunch.
I remembered this incident, a few years on, when I heard about the violent death of Chut Wutty.
I knew him a little - he used to be a soldier before getting a job with
the British environment monitor Global Witness, which meant he saw at
first-hand the devastation of Cambodia's forests.
When his employers were kicked out of Cambodia for alleging connections
between the government and illegal loggers, Wutty set up his own
organisation.
