Thailand
New evidence found surrounding death of Japanese journalistPosted Mar 2 2011
Nearly a year after the fact, Thailand’s Department of Special Investigations (DSI) has reversed its statement that soldiers’ fire killed a Japanese photojournalist who was covering the uprising between anti-government protesters and soldiers in Bangkok last year.
Hiro Muramoto was working for Reuters on April 10, 2010, when he died after being shot in the chest with what originally was thought to be an M16, a gun carried by military officials during the protests. But Thailand’s DSI chief Tharit Pengdit told the Associated Free Press. The story said: “The forensic reports from a respected doctor found that the AK-47 caused the death of the Japanese cameraman. The Thai army does not use this kind of weapon.”
“The apparent contradiction between the preliminary investigation and these reports makes full transparency about the process and the findings imperative,” Stephen Adler, editor-in-chief of Reuters News, said in a statement.
In an article published Feb. 28, The Committee to Protect Journalists reported, “The contradiction of the preliminary findings of the investigation into journalist Hiro Muramoto's death raises questions about the independence of the government's investigation,” said Shawn Crispin, CPJ's senior Southeast Asia representative. “We are particularly concerned by reports that a senior military official may have pressured the DSI into censoring its initial findings.”
According to BBC reports, controversy surrounds all 89 deaths from the protest and no trials have been held surrounding the inquiries.