Over a month after Reuters cameraman Hiro Muramoto was killed in clashes between anti-government protesters and security forces in Thailand’s capital, Bangkok, officials have yet to identify his killers.

“There are many reasons why the government would choose to keep silent, even if they knew [who killed Hiro Muramoto],” the editor of Thailand’s Nation newspaper, Tulsathit Taptim, told IPI by phone today.

Citing the current political tension in Thailand, Taptim suggested that the government may have chosen to not yet reveal the results of any murder investigation, to avoid inciting further violence and, possibly, because the information may be inconvenient or embarrassing for the government.

“It is very difficult for any independent investigation to be conducted under these circumstances,” Taptim said. “Any outcome would be politicised and used by one side or the other.”

Hiro Muramoto, 43, a Japanese national who had been employed with Reuters’ Tokyo bureau for the past fifteen years, was reporting on the violence gripping Bangkok on 10 April, when he was shot in the chest by an unknown assailant.

IPI reported at the time that Muramoto was brought to hospital without a pulse. Protesters returned his camera to Reuters. One of the last frames on the camera contained footage of a third group of people, who appeared to be neither protesters (dubbed ‘Red Shirts’, for the colour of their clothing) nor military representatives, who typically wear army fatigues. This group of gunmen were wearing dark, civilian clothes and were armed.

“Despite the delicate political environment, it is vital that a full, transparent investigation into the killing of Hiro Muramoto be conducted,” said IPI Director David Dadge. “Failure to identify the killer or killers, particularly during this turbulent time for Thailand, could help create an environment in which people believe they can attack and kill journalists with impunity.”