Outrage as two more broadcasters murdered
06/17/2010 The murders of two journalists triggered a fresh wave of outrage yesterday over a relentless assault on media practitioners in the country, which is now known as the second most dangerous place worldwide for the media, given the many killings of journalists. The two broadcast journalists, killed in separate attacks at opposite ends of the country within the space of 24 hours, were both outspoken radio broadcasters known for their criticism of corrupt local officials. Police said they did not know who was behind the murders, but media groups said the crimes appeared to follow a typical pattern in the Philippines in which journalists are killed to silence them. The perpetrators, oftenly believed to be corrupt politicians who have their own security forces, are rarely caught or punished. “Unless this culture ends, the government will never be able to stop the killings,” National Union of Journalists of the Philippines (NUJP) vice chairman Nonoy Espina told Agence France Presse. Desidario Camangyan, 52, became this week’s first victim when he was shot dead by a lone gunman who walked on stage as the victim hosted a village singing contest in the southern Philippines on Monday night. The following evening in the north of the country, Lito Agustin, 37, was ambushed and shot dead as he rode a motorcycle home. Camangyan was well known for speaking out over the airwaves against illegal logging and mining, while Agustin had similarly been very vocal in trying to expose corruption in his hometown. Source: The Daily Tribune URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/headlines/20100617hed1.html |
0 comments
Post a Comment