Cambodian Human Rights Action Committee, a coalition of 18 local NGOs, is deeply concerned by the recent attack and beating of the Global Witness coordinator in Cambodia which appears to be a deliberate act of intimidation designed to deter Global Witness's work to monitor compliance with Cambodia's logging laws and government policies, including to report on violations of the current logging ban.

The Global Witness coordinator was attacked outside her office in Phnom Penh at about 11pm on Tuesday, April 30. As she exited her parked car outside of the office, she was knocked to the ground and beaten and kicked by at least two and possibly three men. At least one of the assailants wore a surgical-type mask, commonly worn by motorcycle riders in Phnom Penh to avoid dust, to partially hide his face. The coordinator was kicked and beaten with a weapon, apparently a stick, and suffered at least 25 bruises and abrasions to her arms, legs, head and torso. The assailants fled after the attack, which lasted about 15 seconds. Nothing was said during the attack. The coordinator was not robbed; her purse, camera and camera bag were on the seat of her car, but nothing was taken. There is no indication of an attempted break-in at the Global Witness office. The attack occurred after the coordinator had decided to return to the Global Witness office, on the corner of Streets 370 and 51, after leaving it 15 minutes earlier. On Wednesday, the day after the attack, a one-word message saying 'QUIT' was sent to a Global Witness email office. The sender of the message, which was purportedly sent through a Chinese Internet email provider, is unknown. CHRAC condemns the attack on staff of an independent monitoring organization mandated by the Cambodian government and donor countries and organizations, to provide accurate and timely information to the government, international community and the public on the exploitation of Cambodia's forests and urges the Cambodian government to pursue the any leads to the arrest of the perpetrators and the protection of NGO workers.

For more information, please contact:
▪ Mr. Sok Sam Oeun, Esq.
▪ Coordinator of the CHRAC and Executive Director of CDP
▪ Tel: 720 032, 362 524, 012 901 199 Fax: 720031
▪ Miss. Naly Pilorge Tel: 360 965, 012 803 650

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