Second journalist killed in Thailand

Italian freelance photographer Fabio Polenghi, 45, was killed during the army assault on “Red Shirt” supporters in Bangkok. A Dutch reporter and a US documentary filmmaker were injured in the assault, in which a total of five people were killed.
Polenghi is the second journalist to have been killed while covering Thailand’s crisis. Hiroyuki Muramoto, a Japanese cameraman working for the Reuters news agency, was fatally shot on 10 April.
“With two journalists killed and five wounded, the toll on the media has been heavy, while many others have only narrowly escaped death,” Reporters Without Borders said. “We are stunned and outraged by the indiscriminate nature of this assault, which shows that the Thai authorities made little attempt to protect journalists in their desire to suppress the Red Shirt opposition.
“As in the case of Hiroyuki Muramoto, we call for an independent investigation into Fabio Polenghi’s death, including an autopsy and a ballistic study carried out in a transparent manner and, if necessary, with the help of foreign experts.”