Cambodia Mourns Environmental Reporter Killed Investigating Illegal Logging

December 6, 2024 – Cambodia –

Cambodian environmental journalist Chhoeung Chheng, aged 63, was fatally shot while conducting field reporting in Siem Reap province, near Trapeang Phluoh village, as he investigated illegal logging activities in the Boeung Per Wildlife Sanctuary. Chheng, a veteran reporter for Kampuchea Aphivath, was ambushed by an unidentified man wielding a firearm during a routine check of timber transport on December 4. He was struck in the abdomen and died three days later in a Siem Reap hospital.

Witnesses say the assailant lay in wait, prompting suspicions that the attack was premeditated and tied directly to Chheng’s activism against illegal environmental practices. A suspect—alleged to be a logger—was swiftly apprehended on December 5 and formally charged, offering some hope of accountability.

While Cambodia has seen prosecutions for journalists in the past, independent watchdogs are calling for deeper investigation. Reporters Without Borders (RSF) described the killing as “appalling” and called on authorities for swift, transparent legal proceedings—especially since Chheng had previously received threats related to his environmental reporting.

UNESCO Director-General Audrey Azoulay also condemned the attack and emphasized the crucial role that environmental journalists play in safeguarding ecological and community well-being.

Chheng’s death brings into sharp relief the risks faced by journalists covering environmental issues in regions where illicit industries meld with local power networks. The reporter’s work focused on exposing the dramatic deforestation of Beng Per, which has lost approximately 72% of its primary forest cover since 2002. His tragic killing echoes earlier cases—such as that of journalist Taing Try in 2014—suggesting this is part of a broader pattern of lethal obstruction.

Advocates are urging authorities not only to prosecute the suspect, but also to address systemic challenges by strengthening protections for environmental reporters and transparently resolving threats associated with land use and resource extraction.

Chheng’s murder underscores that environmental journalism—essential for exposing illicit logging, habitat destruction, and resource corruption—can be as risky as frontline war reporting. His death is a somber reminder: defending the environment through journalism demands both courage and a robust legal commitment to protect those who do.

Reference – 

https://rsf.org/en/cambodia-rsf-appalled-murder-environmental-journalist-chhoeung-chheng

Environmental journalist in Cambodia shot and killed by suspected logger

https://www.ucanews.com/news/cambodian-journalist-shot-by-unknown-assailant/107217