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Authorities Arrest Suspected Drug Lord

Police in Laos have detained a suspected narcotics kingpin who terrorized the Mekong River.

ImagineChina

Family members of the sailors killed on the Mekong River grieve in Yunnan province, Oct. 13, 2011.

Authorities in Laos have arrested a suspected drug lord who is believed to have information vital to an investigation into the murder of 13 Chinese sailors on the Mekong last year, amidst unconfirmed reports that he has been transferred to China for prosecution.

According to Thai authorities, Jai Norkham, a Burmese ethnic Shan who is on Thailand’s most-wanted list, was captured Thursday along with seven other men in the Lao area of the Golden Triangle, a region notorious for drug smuggling that also includes parts of Burma and Thailand.

The raiding party was made up of Lao and Chinese authorities, according to a report by the Shan Herald Agency for News.

An Internal Security officer in Xiengkhong, in northern Thailand’s Chiang Rai province, confirmed with RFA’s Laotian service that the Lao army had arrested Norkham and his henchmen near Tonpheung district in the Lao province of Bokeo. He was taken in Ban Mom, a village that lies across the Mekong from Chiang Rai.

But he said that China was seeking to extradite Norkham to determine what he knows about the murder of two merchant boat crews in October last year.

“China wants Norkham and they have an arrest warrant out for him,” the security officer said, speaking on condition of anonymity.

“Thailand will work on this case based on Thai regulations and may assign the Ministry of Foreign Affairs or the National Police Department to follow up and bring him for trial because we have also issued an arrest warrant for him.”

Members of the military command in Bokeo province and the Defense Ministry in the Lao capital Vientiane refused to comment on Norkham’s arrest.

Thai media reported that Norkham’s close Lao aide Tao Maitaeng was amongst the seven other men arrested and that at least one other was a Burmese national.

Chhut Vuthy, president of the Natural Resource Conservation Group (AFP/CCHR)

By: AFP

PHNOM PENH — A prominent Cambodian activist was fatally shot in a remote forest Thursday while documenting illegal logging in a clash that also killed a military police officer, authorities said.

Chhut Vuthy, president of the Natural Resource Conservation Group, was escorting two female reporters from a Cambodian newspaper when a dispute erupted, said Kheng Tito, spokesman for the national military police.

"There was a shooting incident when there was a clash between military police on duty to protect the forest and an environmental team, leading to the deaths of activist Chhut Vuthy and a military police official," he told AFP.

Vuthy, 43, and one military police officer received gun shot wounds in the incident in a forest in southwestern Koh Kong province and died shortly afterwards in hospital.

Koh Kong provincial military police chief, Thong Narong, confirmed the deaths but details of the incident remain unclear and officials were unable to say how the dispute escalated and who had fired the shots.

Vuthy, who received military police training, was known to carry arms, activists told AFP.

Kheng Tito said the two reporters from the English-language Cambodia Daily, one Cambodian and one Ukrainian, would be questioned.

Kevin Doyle, the paper's editor-in-chief, confirmed to AFP that both women were unharmed but said he was unable to give further details of the incident at this stage.

A military police source in the province said the row appeared to have erupted when the officer tried to confiscate a camera memory stick from the team.

"Vuthy was a long-time activist on forestry issues," said Ou Virak, president of the Cambodian Centre for Human Rights. "He was a very brave man."

Land disputes, including forced evictions and protests against illegal logging, have been on the rise in recent years in Cambodia and have become increasingly violent although they rarely result in deaths.

Over the last six months local human rights group Licadho documented five shooting incidents involving land activists, causing 19 injuries, though the last death was in April 2010.

Environmental groups and human rights campaigners have long accused the Cambodian government of selling off land to the highest bidder.

Anti-Logging Activist Shot in Cambodia

By: Time.com

(PHNOM PENH, Cambodia) — Human rights and environmental groups on Friday denounced the shooting death of a prominent Cambodian environmental activist by military police who had confronted him while he was investigating illegal logging.

Military police spokesman Kheng Tito said National Resources Protection Group director Chut Wutty was shot Thursday in a clash at a checkpoint in Koh Kong province. He said the activist fatally shot a military police officer in the confrontation, and that it was unclear what triggered the violence or who shot first.

Patrick Alley, director of the London-based environmental activist group Global Witness, said the shooting exposed the risks environmental activists in Cambodia face "in the most shocking and tragic manner."

In Kong Chet, of the Cambodian human rights group Licadho, said the confrontation occurred when Chut Wutty refused to hand over a memory card containing photos taken in a nearby forest that is supposed to be protected but is notorious for illegal logging.

He said the activist had taken two journalists from The Cambodia Daily newspaper to see large-scale forest destruction and illegal rosewood smuggling, and that the confrontation occurred as the three were leaving. The journalists were later taken to a military police office for questioning, In Kong Chet said.

Amnesty International identified the journalists as Cambodian Phorn Bopha and Olesia Plokhii, a Canadian national, and said they were later released, but Kheng Tito said Friday that the two were still being questioned.

Amnesty International said Chut Wutty had received threats because of his activities, and called for "an immediate and proper investigation into what happened."

Alley said in a statement that Chut Wutty was "one of the few remaining Cambodian activists willing to speak out against the rapid escalation of illegal logging and land grabbing which is impoverishing ordinary Cambodians and destroying the country's rich natural heritage."

"The national government and international donor countries must publicly condemn his murder and take swift action to bring the perpetrators to justice," he said.

Global Witness and other groups claim illegal logging in Cambodia often occurs under the protection of government agencies or important persons. In recent years, protests against land grabs by rich and influential people have been suppressed by deadly force.

"What happened ... is meant to be a chilling message to us, the concerned citizens, the rights advocates: You mess with us, you pay with your life," said a statement by the rights group CIVICUS, the Center for Cambodian Civic Education. "However, let us send a message back: We will not be bowed!"

The Phnom Penh Post newspaper said Chut Wutty was instrumental in helping it break a story last year about illegal logging and corruption in the same district where he took the journalists this week.

The Club of Cambodian Journalists, a press freedom and professional organization, condemned the shooting of Chut Wutty and urged that his attackers be brought to justice. It also urged the government to guarantee the safety of the two journalists who were with him.

Cambodia has lost its treasures

By Tess Davis
Los Angeles Times
During the Cambodian civil war from 1970 to 1998, the Khmer Rouge and other paramilitary groups began decimating that country’s ancient sites in search of treasures to sell on the international art market. Along with arms dealing and drug smuggling, the looting and trafficking of artifacts became organized industries, which helped finance one of the 20th century’s most notorious regimes.
My colleagues and I have documented the painful scars from this plunder — desecrated tombs, beheaded statues and ransacked temples — at archaeological sites throughout Cambodia. We’ve spoken with looters, middlemen and dealers, and have even posed as collectors. The exact path of pillaged objects is admittedly difficult to trace. But when they do surface, more often than not, it is in the legitimate art world.
On April 4, federal agents filed suit against Sotheby’s in New York demanding that the auction house forfeit a 10th century statue of a Hindu warrior that was “illicitly removed” from a Cambodian temple. According to the complaint, the expert Sotheby’s hired to appraise the sculpture warned that it was “definitely stolen” and suggested returning it to Cambodia to “save everyone some embarrassment.” Sotheby’s contends that the piece entered the United States legally and promises to vigorously defend itself.
Digital reconstructions
Across the country, the Norton Simon Museum in Pasadena is no doubt following the case closely, as the mate to the disputed Sotheby’s figure is on display there. Digital reconstructions and other studies demonstrate that the two sandstone fighters, which represent fabled enemies from the Hindu epic “The Mahabharata,” were once locked in combat at Prasat Chen, a temple in the ancient capital of Koh Ker in Cambodia. Now they are on opposite coasts of the United States with only their pedestals — and feet — left behind.

Chut Wutty, a prominent Cambodian anti-logging activist who helped expose a secretive state sell-off of national parks was fatally shot on April 25, 2012 in a remote southwestern province, FILE February 21, 2012.

Photo: Reuters
From VOA News
Chut Wutty, a prominent Cambodian anti-logging activist who helped expose a secretive state sell-off of national parks was fatally shot on April 25, 2012 in a remote southwestern province, FILE February 21, 2012.
According to Cambodian rights groups, Wutty was shot in the western province of Koh Kong, near an environmentally sensitive forest area he had spent much of his career trying to protect.

A military police spokesman told local media that officers shot at Wutty, and that one military police officer was killed in the exchange. Officials are still looking into the incident.
Rights groups say the government must ensure a full investigation is conducted by national authorities. Ny Chakrya is head of monitoring with local rights watchdog, ADHOC.

"If the government isn't interested or has no commitment to charge or arrest him, it means the government also has no commitment to protect the forest and has no commitment of the protection of human rights defenders," stated Chakrya.

Activist sensed danger
Chut Wutty was an outspoken critic of illegal logging. He frequently campaigned against government land concessions in protected forest areas. For that, his colleagues say, he gained enemies among trafficking rings and corrupt local officials and police, who stood to benefit from the trade of valuable illegal timber.

"It's such a difficult, very difficult situation. In the forest, in Phnom Penh, who will protect you if you're not friends with authority? That's made 100 times worse if you're in the middle of nowhere. Guns speak louder than anything. When you have weapons, that kind of muscle, then you get your way, in such a wild wild west, wild wild east kind of situation," said Ou Virak, president of the Cambodian Center for Human Rights (CCHR).

Wutty frequently received threats to his safety because of his advocacy work. Last August, armed police disrupted a human rights training session organized by Wutty for local villagers. Virak says authorities also accused him of incitement for his advocacy work.

"He told one of my colleagues, many times, that he's probably either in jail or he'll be shot. Unfortunately, his own predictions have come true," Virak added. "It's something he understands the risk and he's aware of the risk and still chose to continue to do the work."

Virak says local officials cannot be trusted to conduct an impartial investigation, when military police officers are accused of being involved in the shooting.
According to Cambodian rights groups, Wutty was shot in the western province of Koh Kong, near an environmentally sensitive forest area he had spent much of his career trying to protect.
A military police spokesman told local media that officers shot at Wutty, and that one military police officer was killed in the exchange. Officials are still looking into the incident.
Rights groups say the government must ensure a full investigation is conducted by national authorities. Ny Chakrya is head of monitoring with local rights watchdog, ADHOC.

"If the government isn't interested or has no commitment to charge or arrest him, it means the government also has no commitment to protect the forest and has no commitment of the protection of human rights defenders," stated Chakrya.

Activist sensed danger
Chut Wutty was an outspoken critic of illegal logging. He frequently campaigned against government land concessions in protected forest areas. For that, his colleagues say, he gained enemies among trafficking rings and corrupt local officials and police, who stood to benefit from the trade of valuable illegal timber.

"It's such a difficult, very difficult situation. In the forest, in Phnom Penh, who will protect you if you're not friends with authority? That's made 100 times worse if you're in the middle of nowhere. Guns speak louder than anything. When you have weapons, that kind of muscle, then you get your way, in such a wild wild west, wild wild east kind of situation," said Ou Virak, president of the Cambodian Center for Human Rights (CCHR).

Wutty frequently received threats to his safety because of his advocacy work. Last August, armed police disrupted a human rights training session organized by Wutty for local villagers. Virak says authorities also accused him of incitement for his advocacy work.

"He told one of my colleagues, many times, that he's probably either in jail or he'll be shot. Unfortunately, his own predictions have come true," Virak added. "It's something he understands the risk and he's aware of the risk and still chose to continue to do the work."

Virak says local officials cannot be trusted to conduct an impartial investigation, when military police officers are accused of being involved in the shooting.
A military police spokesman told local media that officers shot at Wutty, and that one military police officer was killed in the exchange. Officials are still looking into the incident.
Rights groups say the government must ensure a full investigation is conducted by national authorities. Ny Chakrya is head of monitoring with local rights watchdog, ADHOC.

"If the government isn't interested or has no commitment to charge or arrest him, it means the government also has no commitment to protect the forest and has no commitment of the protection of human rights defenders," stated Chakrya.

Activist sensed danger
Chut Wutty was an outspoken critic of illegal logging. He frequently campaigned against government land concessions in protected forest areas. For that, his colleagues say, he gained enemies among trafficking rings and corrupt local officials and police, who stood to benefit from the trade of valuable illegal timber.

"It's such a difficult, very difficult situation. In the forest, in Phnom Penh, who will protect you if you're not friends with authority? That's made 100 times worse if you're in the middle of nowhere. Guns speak louder than anything. When you have weapons, that kind of muscle, then you get your way, in such a wild wild west, wild wild east kind of situation," said Ou Virak, president of the Cambodian Center for Human Rights (CCHR).

Wutty frequently received threats to his safety because of his advocacy work. Last August, armed police disrupted a human rights training session organized by Wutty for local villagers. Virak says authorities also accused him of incitement for his advocacy work.

"He told one of my colleagues, many times, that he's probably either in jail or he'll be shot. Unfortunately, his own predictions have come true," Virak added. "It's something he understands the risk and he's aware of the risk and still chose to continue to do the work."

Virak says local officials cannot be trusted to conduct an impartial investigation, when military police officers are accused of being involved in the shooting.
Rights groups say the government must ensure a full investigation is conducted by national authorities. Ny Chakrya is head of monitoring with local rights watchdog, ADHOC.
"If the government isn't interested or has no commitment to charge or arrest him, it means the government also has no commitment to protect the forest and has no commitment of the protection of human rights defenders," stated Chakrya.

Activist sensed danger
Chut Wutty was an outspoken critic of illegal logging. He frequently campaigned against government land concessions in protected forest areas. For that, his colleagues say, he gained enemies among trafficking rings and corrupt local officials and police, who stood to benefit from the trade of valuable illegal timber.

"It's such a difficult, very difficult situation. In the forest, in Phnom Penh, who will protect you if you're not friends with authority? That's made 100 times worse if you're in the middle of nowhere. Guns speak louder than anything. When you have weapons, that kind of muscle, then you get your way, in such a wild wild west, wild wild east kind of situation," said Ou Virak, president of the Cambodian Center for Human Rights (CCHR).

Wutty frequently received threats to his safety because of his advocacy work. Last August, armed police disrupted a human rights training session organized by Wutty for local villagers. Virak says authorities also accused him of incitement for his advocacy work.

"He told one of my colleagues, many times, that he's probably either in jail or he'll be shot. Unfortunately, his own predictions have come true," Virak added. "It's something he understands the risk and he's aware of the risk and still chose to continue to do the work."

Virak says local officials cannot be trusted to conduct an impartial investigation, when military police officers are accused of being involved in the shooting.
"If the government isn't interested or has no commitment to charge or arrest him, it means the government also has no commitment to protect the forest and has no commitment of the protection of human rights defenders," stated Chakrya.
Activist sensed danger
Chut Wutty was an outspoken critic of illegal logging. He frequently campaigned against government land concessions in protected forest areas. For that, his colleagues say, he gained enemies among trafficking rings and corrupt local officials and police, who stood to benefit from the trade of valuable illegal timber.

"It's such a difficult, very difficult situation. In the forest, in Phnom Penh, who will protect you if you're not friends with authority? That's made 100 times worse if you're in the middle of nowhere. Guns speak louder than anything. When you have weapons, that kind of muscle, then you get your way, in such a wild wild west, wild wild east kind of situation," said Ou Virak, president of the Cambodian Center for Human Rights (CCHR).

Wutty frequently received threats to his safety because of his advocacy work. Last August, armed police disrupted a human rights training session organized by Wutty for local villagers. Virak says authorities also accused him of incitement for his advocacy work.

"He told one of my colleagues, many times, that he's probably either in jail or he'll be shot. Unfortunately, his own predictions have come true," Virak added. "It's something he understands the risk and he's aware of the risk and still chose to continue to do the work."

Virak says local officials cannot be trusted to conduct an impartial investigation, when military police officers are accused of being involved in the shooting.
Activist sensed danger
Chut Wutty was an outspoken critic of illegal logging. He frequently campaigned against government land concessions in protected forest areas. For that, his colleagues say, he gained enemies among trafficking rings and corrupt local officials and police, who stood to benefit from the trade of valuable illegal timber.

"It's such a difficult, very difficult situation. In the forest, in Phnom Penh, who will protect you if you're not friends with authority? That's made 100 times worse if you're in the middle of nowhere. Guns speak louder than anything. When you have weapons, that kind of muscle, then you get your way, in such a wild wild west, wild wild east kind of situation," said Ou Virak, president of the Cambodian Center for Human Rights (CCHR).

Wutty frequently received threats to his safety because of his advocacy work. Last August, armed police disrupted a human rights training session organized by Wutty for local villagers. Virak says authorities also accused him of incitement for his advocacy work.

"He told one of my colleagues, many times, that he's probably either in jail or he'll be shot. Unfortunately, his own predictions have come true," Virak added. "It's something he understands the risk and he's aware of the risk and still chose to continue to do the work."

Virak says local officials cannot be trusted to conduct an impartial investigation, when military police officers are accused of being involved in the shooting.
Chut Wutty was an outspoken critic of illegal logging. He frequently campaigned against government land concessions in protected forest areas. For that, his colleagues say, he gained enemies among trafficking rings and corrupt local officials and police, who stood to benefit from the trade of valuable illegal timber.
"It's such a difficult, very difficult situation. In the forest, in Phnom Penh, who will protect you if you're not friends with authority? That's made 100 times worse if you're in the middle of nowhere. Guns speak louder than anything. When you have weapons, that kind of muscle, then you get your way, in such a wild wild west, wild wild east kind of situation," said Ou Virak, president of the Cambodian Center for Human Rights (CCHR).

Wutty frequently received threats to his safety because of his advocacy work. Last August, armed police disrupted a human rights training session organized by Wutty for local villagers. Virak says authorities also accused him of incitement for his advocacy work.

"He told one of my colleagues, many times, that he's probably either in jail or he'll be shot. Unfortunately, his own predictions have come true," Virak added. "It's something he understands the risk and he's aware of the risk and still chose to continue to do the work."

Virak says local officials cannot be trusted to conduct an impartial investigation, when military police officers are accused of being involved in the shooting.
"It's such a difficult, very difficult situation. In the forest, in Phnom Penh, who will protect you if you're not friends with authority? That's made 100 times worse if you're in the middle of nowhere. Guns speak louder than anything. When you have weapons, that kind of muscle, then you get your way, in such a wild wild west, wild wild east kind of situation," said Ou Virak, president of the Cambodian Center for Human Rights (CCHR).
Wutty frequently received threats to his safety because of his advocacy work. Last August, armed police disrupted a human rights training session organized by Wutty for local villagers. Virak says authorities also accused him of incitement for his advocacy work.

"He told one of my colleagues, many times, that he's probably either in jail or he'll be shot. Unfortunately, his own predictions have come true," Virak added. "It's something he understands the risk and he's aware of the risk and still chose to continue to do the work."

Virak says local officials cannot be trusted to conduct an impartial investigation, when military police officers are accused of being involved in the shooting.
Wutty frequently received threats to his safety because of his advocacy work. Last August, armed police disrupted a human rights training session organized by Wutty for local villagers. Virak says authorities also accused him of incitement for his advocacy work.
"He told one of my colleagues, many times, that he's probably either in jail or he'll be shot. Unfortunately, his own predictions have come true," Virak added. "It's something he understands the risk and he's aware of the risk and still chose to continue to do the work."

Virak says local officials cannot be trusted to conduct an impartial investigation, when military police officers are accused of being involved in the shooting.
"He told one of my colleagues, many times, that he's probably either in jail or he'll be shot. Unfortunately, his own predictions have come true," Virak added. "It's something he understands the risk and he's aware of the risk and still chose to continue to do the work."
Virak says local officials cannot be trusted to conduct an impartial investigation, when military police officers are accused of being involved in the shooting.
Virak says local officials cannot be trusted to conduct an impartial investigation, when military police officers are accused of being involved in the shooting.

Rights groups are calling for a full government investigation into the shooting death of a prominent land rights activist in Cambodia. Chut Wutty, an outspoken critic of illegal logging, died after being shot by military police. One police officer also died in the incident which is still under investigation. Wutty's colleagues say the activist had previously received threats.

Cambodian Artists Respond to Phnom Penh’s Rapid Urbanization

Photo: VOA - Yong YN
Phnom Penh's skyline is fast seeing new skyscrapers, prompting artists to create works commenting on the rapid urbanization in the city. – Yong YN
Khvay Samnang pours sand over his head to protest urbanization in Phnom Penh

Khvay Samnang pours sand over his head to protest urbanization in Phnom Penh

Khvay Samnang
From VOA News
Using himself as the subject, Khvay Samnang staged a short ritual of pouring one bucket of sand over his head while having his photograph captured to comment on the privatization of lakes in Phnom Penh for development.Another artist, Khvay Samnang, has worked extensively in producing art works to express his views on the vanishing lakes in Phnom Penh's city centre. He has recently exhibited a series of photographs of himself standing in the middle of the now-gone Boeung Kak lake and pouring earth over his body as the shot was being taken.
Cambodia's capital city, Phnom Penh, was once known as the “Paris of the East” for its resemblance to the famous European city. During French colonial rule, Phnom Penh boasted spacious villas with French courtyards that were homes and reception venues to both the wealthy French and Khmers.
The mansions and villas are now faded memories of the city's former grandeur before it was left in shambles from the Khmer Rouge regime. Many of these former symbols of sophistication and wealth are now abandoned and waiting to be demolished to make way for skyscrapers.
Skyscrapers are Cambodia's new symbols of prosperity and modernity. While the city skyline is still largely spartan, all that is about to change, with Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen endorsing the construction of more skyscrapers in the city by Korean and Chinese contractors.
But this push toward a moden city has a cost in lost history, vanishing natural areas and evictions.
To increase the development, the government has recently filled in Boeung Kak Lake, which is located in the heart of the city, and evicted thousands of households living in the surrounding areas.
The ensuing controversy has prompted a movement among Cambodian artists and photographers to respond to the rapid urbanization of Phnom Penh.
Going against the tide, this group is concerned with the rapid urbanization of Phnom Penh and the mass demolition of its colonial-influenced buildings. In response, they have created and exhibited works to comment on the issue.
Erin Gleeson, a curator and researcher who has lived in Cambodia for a decade, said there is a strong pattern among Cambodian artists to document and archive the city's landscape, with the anticipation that it could become unrecognizable in years to come.
“Almost 80% of the local artists in advanced practices are committedly making commentaries on the rapid urbanization of Cambodia. These local artists are responding to the change in their lifestyles, culture and environment and some of them are also expressing their personal experiences as they are also residents near the lake that is now vanished,” she said.
Gleeson added that this movement of artists is not pre-planned, but the works seen so far have turned out to be a cohesive collection that presents a similar view.
“Phnom Penh is a flat city, and has never been a concrete city. But, as it develops, the artists here mourn for the loss of that landscape that they are so used to. It is an irony, as we feel that some things are dying, even though the city is growing,” she said.
Among the artists that have prominent works on the subject include Kim Hak, a photography artist that has exhibited several projects in and out of Cambodia, mainly on people living in and among colonial buildings in Phnom Penh.
“More often than not, a new building or skyscraper is constructed at the expense of existing buildings that have historical and social values, including schools and hospitals. I believe that the colonial buildings should co-exist with the new ones, instead of changing Phnom Penh's landscape entirely,” he said.
“My work is for the people. I use my body to react towards the loss of lakes situated in the heart of the city. I am not trying to change the government's mind about how they should develop this country but rather, I am expressing my experience of this loss and be critical about this issue,” he said.
Khvay said he is not against the government developing the land in Phnom Penh. But, he says it has to be done with proper urban planning. “Filling the lake with earth will result in environmental consequences such as increased floods in Cambodia in future years,” he explained.
Responses to these artists' work have been encouraging. Kim said his photographs of colonial architecture have helped raise awareness of preserving some heritage monuments. “When these photographs are exhibited in Phnom Penh, UNESCO wanted to use some of them as exhibits to discuss with the government on preserving these buildings,” he said.
Gleeson said the local artistic community did not produce art works to quickly change people's minds, but rather to engage with the community. “In their own individual ways, these artists want to be initiators of conversations, and not want to let things pass without saying something,” she said.

Pakistan Deports Bin Laden Family

Photo: REUTERS
Newspapers headlines on death of Osama bin Laden, Lahore, Pakistan, May 3, 2011 (file photo).

By: VOA News

Intelligence officials say bin Laden's three widows -- two Saudi nationals and a Yemeni -- and their children were taken to the airport near Islamabad shortly after midnight on Friday, where a plane was waiting to take them to the kingdom.

Saudi officials have not commented on the deportation.

Earlier this month, a Pakistani court convicted bin Laden's widows and two of his daughters on charges of illegally residing in the country and sentenced them to 45 days detention to be followed by deportation.

The widows, several of bin Laden's children and at least one grandchild were detained after U.S. special forces killed the al-Qaida leader during a covert operation in the Pakistani city of Abbottabad on May 2 of last year.

They were formally arrested last month and received credit for time already served, shortening their sentence to two weeks.

Pakistan's Interior Ministry said Friday that 14 members of the bin Laden family had been deported to the "country of their choice, Saudi Arabia."

It is unclear if bin Laden's youngest wife will stay in Saudi Arabia or return to her homeland of Yemen.

According to a Pakistani police report, Amal Ahmed Abdulfattah told police the al-Qaida leader spent nearly 10 years on the run in Pakistan following the September 11, 2001 attacks in the United States. She said the family moved to different safe houses around the country.

The 30-year-old Yemeni said she gave birth to four of bin Laden's children while in Pakistan, with two of them born in government hospitals.
Intelligence officials say bin Laden's three widows -- two Saudi nationals and a Yemeni -- and their children were taken to the airport near Islamabad shortly after midnight on Friday, where a plane was waiting to take them to the kingdom.
Saudi officials have not commented on the deportation.

Earlier this month, a Pakistani court convicted bin Laden's widows and two of his daughters on charges of illegally residing in the country and sentenced them to 45 days detention to be followed by deportation.

The widows, several of bin Laden's children and at least one grandchild were detained after U.S. special forces killed the al-Qaida leader during a covert operation in the Pakistani city of Abbottabad on May 2 of last year.

They were formally arrested last month and received credit for time already served, shortening their sentence to two weeks.

Pakistan's Interior Ministry said Friday that 14 members of the bin Laden family had been deported to the "country of their choice, Saudi Arabia."

It is unclear if bin Laden's youngest wife will stay in Saudi Arabia or return to her homeland of Yemen.

According to a Pakistani police report, Amal Ahmed Abdulfattah told police the al-Qaida leader spent nearly 10 years on the run in Pakistan following the September 11, 2001 attacks in the United States. She said the family moved to different safe houses around the country.

The 30-year-old Yemeni said she gave birth to four of bin Laden's children while in Pakistan, with two of them born in government hospitals.
Saudi officials have not commented on the deportation.
Earlier this month, a Pakistani court convicted bin Laden's widows and two of his daughters on charges of illegally residing in the country and sentenced them to 45 days detention to be followed by deportation.

The widows, several of bin Laden's children and at least one grandchild were detained after U.S. special forces killed the al-Qaida leader during a covert operation in the Pakistani city of Abbottabad on May 2 of last year.

They were formally arrested last month and received credit for time already served, shortening their sentence to two weeks.

Pakistan's Interior Ministry said Friday that 14 members of the bin Laden family had been deported to the "country of their choice, Saudi Arabia."

It is unclear if bin Laden's youngest wife will stay in Saudi Arabia or return to her homeland of Yemen.

According to a Pakistani police report, Amal Ahmed Abdulfattah told police the al-Qaida leader spent nearly 10 years on the run in Pakistan following the September 11, 2001 attacks in the United States. She said the family moved to different safe houses around the country.

The 30-year-old Yemeni said she gave birth to four of bin Laden's children while in Pakistan, with two of them born in government hospitals.
Earlier this month, a Pakistani court convicted bin Laden's widows and two of his daughters on charges of illegally residing in the country and sentenced them to 45 days detention to be followed by deportation.
The widows, several of bin Laden's children and at least one grandchild were detained after U.S. special forces killed the al-Qaida leader during a covert operation in the Pakistani city of Abbottabad on May 2 of last year.

They were formally arrested last month and received credit for time already served, shortening their sentence to two weeks.

Pakistan's Interior Ministry said Friday that 14 members of the bin Laden family had been deported to the "country of their choice, Saudi Arabia."

It is unclear if bin Laden's youngest wife will stay in Saudi Arabia or return to her homeland of Yemen.

According to a Pakistani police report, Amal Ahmed Abdulfattah told police the al-Qaida leader spent nearly 10 years on the run in Pakistan following the September 11, 2001 attacks in the United States. She said the family moved to different safe houses around the country.

The 30-year-old Yemeni said she gave birth to four of bin Laden's children while in Pakistan, with two of them born in government hospitals.
The widows, several of bin Laden's children and at least one grandchild were detained after U.S. special forces killed the al-Qaida leader during a covert operation in the Pakistani city of Abbottabad on May 2 of last year.
They were formally arrested last month and received credit for time already served, shortening their sentence to two weeks.

Pakistan's Interior Ministry said Friday that 14 members of the bin Laden family had been deported to the "country of their choice, Saudi Arabia."

It is unclear if bin Laden's youngest wife will stay in Saudi Arabia or return to her homeland of Yemen.

According to a Pakistani police report, Amal Ahmed Abdulfattah told police the al-Qaida leader spent nearly 10 years on the run in Pakistan following the September 11, 2001 attacks in the United States. She said the family moved to different safe houses around the country.

The 30-year-old Yemeni said she gave birth to four of bin Laden's children while in Pakistan, with two of them born in government hospitals.
They were formally arrested last month and received credit for time already served, shortening their sentence to two weeks.
Pakistan's Interior Ministry said Friday that 14 members of the bin Laden family had been deported to the "country of their choice, Saudi Arabia."

It is unclear if bin Laden's youngest wife will stay in Saudi Arabia or return to her homeland of Yemen.

According to a Pakistani police report, Amal Ahmed Abdulfattah told police the al-Qaida leader spent nearly 10 years on the run in Pakistan following the September 11, 2001 attacks in the United States. She said the family moved to different safe houses around the country.

The 30-year-old Yemeni said she gave birth to four of bin Laden's children while in Pakistan, with two of them born in government hospitals.
Pakistan's Interior Ministry said Friday that 14 members of the bin Laden family had been deported to the "country of their choice, Saudi Arabia."
It is unclear if bin Laden's youngest wife will stay in Saudi Arabia or return to her homeland of Yemen.

According to a Pakistani police report, Amal Ahmed Abdulfattah told police the al-Qaida leader spent nearly 10 years on the run in Pakistan following the September 11, 2001 attacks in the United States. She said the family moved to different safe houses around the country.

The 30-year-old Yemeni said she gave birth to four of bin Laden's children while in Pakistan, with two of them born in government hospitals.
It is unclear if bin Laden's youngest wife will stay in Saudi Arabia or return to her homeland of Yemen.
According to a Pakistani police report, Amal Ahmed Abdulfattah told police the al-Qaida leader spent nearly 10 years on the run in Pakistan following the September 11, 2001 attacks in the United States. She said the family moved to different safe houses around the country.

The 30-year-old Yemeni said she gave birth to four of bin Laden's children while in Pakistan, with two of them born in government hospitals.
According to a Pakistani police report, Amal Ahmed Abdulfattah told police the al-Qaida leader spent nearly 10 years on the run in Pakistan following the September 11, 2001 attacks in the United States. She said the family moved to different safe houses around the country.
The 30-year-old Yemeni said she gave birth to four of bin Laden's children while in Pakistan, with two of them born in government hospitals.
The 30-year-old Yemeni said she gave birth to four of bin Laden's children while in Pakistan, with two of them born in government hospitals.

Pakistan has deported Osama bin Laden's family to Saudi Arabia, nearly a year after the al-Qaida leader was killed in a U.S. raid.

Some information for this report was provided by AP, AFP and Reuters.