Shadow Cast Over Future of Forest Patrols
More than two weeks after the murder of conservationist Chut Wutty in the forests of the Cardamom Mountains, the future of his small NGO remains in doubt. But NGOs and communities who worked with Chut Wutty over the years say the larger fate of his brand of activism against illegal logging may matter more. Since founding the Natural Resources Protection Group (NRPG) in 2004, Chut Wutty was instrumental in developing and growing a style of activism against illegal logging that brought together hundreds of people for forest patrols that would last days at a time, sometimes burning what illegal timber caches they came across in the forest. Some 400 of those activists from across Cambodia came together on Saturday for a memorial on the very spot in Koh Kong province where Chut Wutty was gunned down on April 26 under still mysterious circumstances. They have promised to carry on the work, but time will tell if their resolve matches their words. …
