ID :
116299
Mon, 04/12/2010 - 20:15
Auther :
Shortlink :
https://www.oananews.org//node/116299
The shortlink copeid
Hatoyama asks Thailand to investigate death of Japanese cameraman
+
TOKYO, April 12 Kyodo -
Japanese Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama on Monday expressed regret over the
death of a Japanese TV cameraman during Saturday's clashes in Bangkok, while
calling on the Thai government to investigate the circumstances surrounding his
death.
He also said he has called on Thailand to make further efforts to ensure the
safety of Japanese nationals in the country and to stop the chaos from
spreading.
On the death of Hiroyuki Muramoto, a 43-year-old television cameraman for
Reuters news agency, Hatoyama told reporters, ''It's very regrettable that Mr.
Muramoto died. I requested (the Thai government) to adequately investigate the
cause (of his death).''
His comments were made before he left for Washington to attend the
U.S.-sponsored Nuclear Security Summit.
In a personal letter sent to Hatoyama on Sunday, Thai Prime Minister Abhisit
Vejjajiva pledged to implement a thorough probe into the cause of Muramoto's
death.
Muramoto joined Reuters in 1995 and covered situations in North Korea and
military exercises in the Philippines, the news agency said. A native of Tokyo,
he was married with two daughters.
His colleagues at Reuters described him as a man who was dedicated to his work
and with a strong sense of justice, affectionately known as ''Hiro-san.''
On April 23, a day after his scheduled return to Japan, Muramoto was to join a
fundraising event by Oxfam Japan, a nongovernmental organization in which he
began participating three years ago, and walk some 100 kilometers from Odawara,
Kanagawa Prefecture, to Lake Yamanaka in Yamanashi Prefecture.
One of his colleagues, who was supposed to join the event with him, sent an
e-mail to him after seeing a newsflash that a Japanese journalist had been
killed, saying, ''Are you safe?'' But she did not receive a response from him.
''I cannot take this in,'' she said. ''I feel really proud of him.''
Monzurul Huq, president of the Foreign Correspondents' Club of Japan, said its
members are ''deeply saddened'' by the news, and urged authorities in Thailand
to identify the cause of his death.
''Hiro's tragic death comes as a reminder of how dangerous the profession of
journalism at times might turn out to be, and also tells us of the heroism of
our colleagues who fear nothing in the pursuit of getting the news known to all
without any delay,'' he said in a statement.
==Kyodo
2010-04-12 21:19:20
TOKYO, April 12 Kyodo -
Japanese Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama on Monday expressed regret over the
death of a Japanese TV cameraman during Saturday's clashes in Bangkok, while
calling on the Thai government to investigate the circumstances surrounding his
death.
He also said he has called on Thailand to make further efforts to ensure the
safety of Japanese nationals in the country and to stop the chaos from
spreading.
On the death of Hiroyuki Muramoto, a 43-year-old television cameraman for
Reuters news agency, Hatoyama told reporters, ''It's very regrettable that Mr.
Muramoto died. I requested (the Thai government) to adequately investigate the
cause (of his death).''
His comments were made before he left for Washington to attend the
U.S.-sponsored Nuclear Security Summit.
In a personal letter sent to Hatoyama on Sunday, Thai Prime Minister Abhisit
Vejjajiva pledged to implement a thorough probe into the cause of Muramoto's
death.
Muramoto joined Reuters in 1995 and covered situations in North Korea and
military exercises in the Philippines, the news agency said. A native of Tokyo,
he was married with two daughters.
His colleagues at Reuters described him as a man who was dedicated to his work
and with a strong sense of justice, affectionately known as ''Hiro-san.''
On April 23, a day after his scheduled return to Japan, Muramoto was to join a
fundraising event by Oxfam Japan, a nongovernmental organization in which he
began participating three years ago, and walk some 100 kilometers from Odawara,
Kanagawa Prefecture, to Lake Yamanaka in Yamanashi Prefecture.
One of his colleagues, who was supposed to join the event with him, sent an
e-mail to him after seeing a newsflash that a Japanese journalist had been
killed, saying, ''Are you safe?'' But she did not receive a response from him.
''I cannot take this in,'' she said. ''I feel really proud of him.''
Monzurul Huq, president of the Foreign Correspondents' Club of Japan, said its
members are ''deeply saddened'' by the news, and urged authorities in Thailand
to identify the cause of his death.
''Hiro's tragic death comes as a reminder of how dangerous the profession of
journalism at times might turn out to be, and also tells us of the heroism of
our colleagues who fear nothing in the pursuit of getting the news known to all
without any delay,'' he said in a statement.
==Kyodo
2010-04-12 21:19:20
