Journalist Taken to Court Over Report on Illegal Timber Factory

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A video report alleging a Battambang timber factory was illegally processing luxury wood has landed a local journalist in court. Lim Phally, a reporter for Los Seng News, said he had asked for a delay for court questioning that was scheduled today. He was sued after a livestream report from January 16 about a local businessman he claims was trafficking timber, he said.

 

“We saw him actively transporting timber in and out of Battambang every day. When our reporters went to cover it, he complained against us, accusing us of defamation and disseminating [false] information — even though I have documents, videos and photos of him carrying wood.”

 

 

The January 16 video shows Phally going to video the businessman’s wood processing factory and commenting that luxury wood was found in the factory, and that it was illegal, calling for an investigation. “This machine is legal only for local wood,” he says in the video, claiming the luxury wood was imported. Battambang provincial forestry department director Chhim Vachira said the factory was licensed and had been inspected.

 

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