Chut Wutty was one of Asia’s leading environmental activists, tirelessly working to prevent illegal logging in Cambodia.
But on 26th April, he was gunned down in mysterious circumstances in the protected Cardamom Forest.
When David O’Shea unravels the story behind his death for Dateline, he finds allegations of corruption and cover-up, with government investigators giving several conflicting accounts of what happened.
So who’s really behind Chut Wutty’s death? And was there something the activist knew that his killers didn’t want revealed?
WATCH – Click to see David’s report.
EXTRA – Read more about Chut Wutty’s life and the tributes that have been paid to him by following the links on the right-hand side of the page
THURSDAY, 24 MAY 2012
Chut Wutty’s murder: Yellow vines are used for steroid production
Marcus Hardtke and Ms. Ira Galabru inspecting evidence of logging during the gathering of 600 forest activists at the site of Chut Wutty’s murder on 10th May.
By Khmerization
Source: Free Press Magazine Online
Investigators from an international NGO and Cambodian environmental activists who have gathered at the site of Chutt Wutty’s murder in Koh Kong have found that the spot where Chut Wutty was killed was only about 100 metres from where piles of rosewoods and yellow vines were stockpiled. Yellow vines have been linked to the productions of illicit drugs. The substances extracted from yellow vines (Vor Lomiet in Khmer) are more important than the sassafras oil, or Breah Prov in Khmer, in the use for the productions of illicit drugs, in particular steroid. (Breah Prov was used for the production of amphetamine and ecstasy, which has been cracked down by authority in the past few years, also in the Cardamon Mountains where the production of yellow vine oil was discovered by Chut Wutty before he was killed).
Tribulus terrestris (yellow vine) is the scientific name for a weed-like plant whose extract is used as a food supplement. The plant (yellow vine) is more commonly known as Puncture Vine, Caltrop, Yellow Vine, or Goathead. As a food supplement, the purported effect is a rise in the body’s testosterone production and an increased sex drive. It is popular among athletes and is particularly used by bodybuilders in combination with steroid hormone food supplements to boost strength and muscle mass. In Chinese and Indian traditional medicine, the extract or the dried form is mixed in tonics and used as an aphrodisiac as well as a liver, kidney, urinary and cardiovascular remedy. The plant is called Bai Ji Li in Chinese, and in Sanskrit, it is called gokshura.
The Cambodian government has cracked down on sassafras oil productions in recent years, however, after the crack down on sassafras oil productions, there emerged the productions of yellow vines oil which many botanists and chemists said have been linked to the productions of illicit drugs.
Marcus Hardtke, coordinator for ARA, who had accompanied about 600 environmental activists to the site of Chutt Wutty’s murder said : “The investigations in Koh Kong have told us of a valuable find. We’ve found that Chutt Wutty was killed because he had found out and compiled documents of a numbers of activists that the company wanted to hide. He has found for the first time that the company wanted to hide four timber processing factories and a factory to process yellow vines oil. Timbergreen has nearly expired, so the cancellation and a criminal investigation must begin without delay..”, he said.
The stockpile of rosewood and tanks used to refine yellow vine oil that have been found by environmental activists was just a small part of a larger operations left behind after Timbergreen Co., Ltd attempted to evacuated all equipments and evidence before environmentalists arrived in the area on 10th of May.
Chut Wutty was killed on 26th April at Veal Bei in Mondol Seima district while taking two journalists from The Cambodia Daily to investigate illegal logging in the area by Timbergreen Co., Ltd.
Read article in Khmer below:
ច័ន្ទ 14 ឩសភា 2012 – 7:54 am | សិលាពល |
ការពិសោធន៏រកឃើញថា ឈើប្រណិតនិងវល្លិ៏ល្មៀត ធ្វើឲ្យលោក ឈុត វុទ្ធី ស្លាប់
ក្រុម អ្នកស្រាវជ្រាវពីអង្គការ អន្តរជាតិក្រៅរដ្ឋាភិបាល និងសហគមន៏ប្រជាពលរដ្ឋ ដែលបានលើកគ្នាទៅពិនិត្យដល់ទីកន្លែងដែលមានការបាញ់សម្លាប់ លោក ឈុត វុទ្ធី បានសន្និដ្ឋានថា លោក ឈុត វុទ្ធី បានស្លាប់ នៅទីកន្លែងមួយ ដែលមានចម្ងាយប្រមាណ១រយម៉ែត្រ ពីគំនរឈើប្រណិត និងពំនូកវល្លិ៏ល្មៀត ដែលត្រូវបានគេរកឃើញថា ជាវត្ថុធាតុដើមសម្រាប់ផលិតគ្រឿងញៀនដ៏សំខាន់ ជាងម្រះ ព្រៅភ្នំ ដែលធ្លាប់ល្បីនាពេលកន្លងមក ហើយករណីនេះ បានធ្វើឲ្យលោក ឈុត វុទ្ធី ត្រូវបានគេបាញ់សម្លាប់ ។
លោក ម៉ាកូស ហាដកេ (Marcus Hardtke) អ្នកសម្របសម្រួលប្រចាំតំបន់នៃអង្គការ ARA ដែលបានរួមដំណើរ ជាមួយប្រជាសហគមន៏ ទៅរុកល្បាតព្រៃ នៅកន្លែង ដែលខ្មាន់កាំភ្លើង បាញ់សម្លាប់លោក ឈុត វុទ្ធី បាននិយាយថា ” ការស៊ើបអង្កេតនៅខេត្ត កោះកុង បានប្រាប់យើងពីការយល់ឃើញដ៏មានតម្លៃ ។ ពួកយើងបានរកឃើញថា លោក ឈុត វុទ្ធី ត្រូវបានគេសម្លាប់ដោយសារតែអ្វី ។គាត់បានរកឃើញនិងចងក្រងជាឯកសារ នូវសកម្មាភាពមួយចំនួន ដែលក្រុមហ៊ុនចង់បិទបាំង ។ គាត់បានរកឃើញជាលើកដំបូង នូវ ការប៉ុនប៉ងបិទបាំង ពីការរកស៊ីឈើក្រញូង រោងចក្រអារឈើចំនួន៤ និង ការកែច្នៃ វល្លិ៏ល្មៀត ..។ អាជ្ញាប័ណ្ណរបស់ក្រុមហ៊ុន ធីប៊ើហ្គ្រីន ជិតផុតហើយ ការលុបចោលនិង ការស៊ើបអង្កេតព្រហ្មទណ្ឌមួយ គួរចាប់ផ្ដើមដោយមិនបាច់ពន្យារពេល..” ។
គំនរ ឈើប្រណិត និងពំនូកវល្លិ៏ល្មៀត រួមទាំងអាងសម្រាប់ចម្រាញ់វល្លិល្មៀតជាភស្តុតាង ដែលត្រូវបានប្រជាសហគមន៏រកឃើញត្រូវបានគេនិយាយថា គ្រាន់តែជាចំណែកតិចតួចដែលនៅសេសសល់ពីការជម្លៀសចេញ បន្ទាប់ពីបាន ដំណឹងថា ប្រជាសហគមន៏លើកគ្នាមកកាន់ទីនេះនោះ ។
លោក ឈុត វុទ្ធី សកម្មជនព្រៃឈើល្បីឈ្មោះត្រូវបានបាញ់សម្លាប់ កាលពីថ្ងៃទី ២៦ ខែ មេសា ឆ្នាំ២០១២ ត្រង់ចំនុចវាលបី ក្នុងឃុំ បាក់ខ្លង ស្រុក មណ្ឌលសីមា ខេត្ត កោះកុង ។លទ្ធផលនៃរបាយការណ៏ស៊ើបអង្កេតរបស់រដ្ឋាភិបាលបង្ហាញថាលោក ឈុត វុទ្ធី បានស្លាប់ដោយសារការរាលកៃកាំភ្លើ អំឡុងដែលមានការប្រតាយដណ្ដើមកាំភ្លើងគ្នា ជាមួយសន្តិសុខក្រុមហ៊ុន ធីប៊ើហ្គ្រីន ដែលទទួលបានសិទ្ធិកាប់ឈើពីរដ្ឋ ។ ប៉ុន្តែក្រុមអង្គការសង្គមស៊ីវិល និង ប្រជាសហគមន៏ បានច្រានចោលលទ្ធផលស៊ើបអង្កេតនេះ ដោយថា ជារបាយការណ៏ភូតកុហក់ ៕