Following an investigation into claims that a group of journalists were attacked by a gang of timber traders, the Ministry of Information in a statement yesterday said that it had found no evidence to support the group’s allegations.

The six journalists had alleged that more than 10 people working for a timber trader known as “Meng” rammed their car and attacked them with stones and a metal rod in an attempt to kill them in Ratanakkiri’s Veun Sai district on February 1.

“We did not find evidence, or even a photo, to support their claim,” said ministry spokesman Uk Kimseng. “I called . . . asking them to give evidence, but they don’t have any.”

Though photos circulated of the journalists’ damaged car, the statement said that the damage was consistent with a traffic accident, and that despite the journalists being equipped with cameras, there was no evidence of an attack.

The ministry’s statement also claimed that the journalists had intimidated villagers.

But one of the six, Sok Sovann, of Union Media of ASEAN, denied intimidating villagers and claimed ministry investigators “did not question the six of us”.