Филиппиний Негрос Ориентал мужид АНУ-ын иргэн, нэрт далайн биологич Кент Карпентерийг үл таних этгээдүүд буудан хөнөөсөн хэрэг гарчээ.
Ням гарагийн орой Сибулан хотын эргийн бүсэд байрлах гэрт нь гурван этгээд дайран орж, 73 настай Кент Карпентерийн толгойн тус газарт буудан хөнөөсөн байна. Халдлага үйлдэгчид түүний эд зүйлс, тэр дундаа зөөврийн компьютер, бэлэн мөнгө зэргийг дээрэмдэн зугтсан гэж цагдаагийн байгууллагаас мэдээллээ. Хамт байсан эмэгтэй гэмтэж бэртсэн бөгөөд одоогоор хэргийн сэдэл болон гэмт этгээдүүдийг тогтоохоор мөрдлөгийн ажиллагааг эрчимтэй явуулж байна.
Кент Карпентер нь Виржиниа муж дахь Old Dominion их сургуулийн биологийн шинжлэх ухааны профессор байсан бөгөөд 1996 оноос хойш тус сургуульд багшилж байв. Тэрээр Филиппиний тэнгисийн биологийн төрөл зүйл болон дэлхийн далайн экосистемийг хамгаалах чиглэлээр олон улсад хүлээн зөвшөөрөгдсөн судалгаа хийдэг байсан юм.
Талийгаач есдүгээр сард тэтгэвэртээ гарахаар төлөвлөж байсан бөгөөд судалгааны ажлын хүрээнд Филиппинд удаан хугацаагаар ажиллаж байжээ. Тэрээр 1970-аад оноос хойш тус улсын их сургуулиудтай хамтран ажиллаж, дэлхийн далайн экосистемийн аюулгүй байдал, загас болон ургамлын төрөл зүйлийн мөхлийн эрсдэлийн талаар чухал судалгаануудыг хийсэн эрдэмтэн байв.
Дэлгэрэнгүйг эх сурвалжаас харах
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A renowned marine biologist from the United States was shot dead by three men in the central Philippines, just weeks before he was set to retire.
Kent Carpenter, 73, was with his Filipina companion at a house in the coastal town of Sibulan, in Negros Oriental province, on Sunday night when the masked men forced their way in, according to police.
One attacker drew a gun and shot Carpenter in the head, killing him instantly, police were told by his companion. The men took a laptop, an unspecified amount of cash and a backpack before fleeing, according to national police spokesperson Col. Allen Rae Co.
Carpenter’s companion suffered unspecified injuries and was receiving treatment as investigators were trying to determine the motive for the killing and identify the attackers.
Carpenter was a marine biologist who had worked as a lecturer at the Silliman University, in Dumaguete city, Negros Oriental, Regional police spokesperson Lt. Col. Joem Malong said.
The U.S. Embassy in Manila did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
“We assure the victim’s family, the community and our foreign visitors that this case is being treated with utmost urgency and no effort will be spared until justice is served,” regional police director Brig. Gen. Romano Cardiño said.
Carpenter had been a biological sciences professor at Old Dominion University in Norfolk, Virginia, since 1996. His research — which focused on the Philippines and the Coral Triangle between the Indian and Pacific oceans — shaped conservation efforts around the world, university officials said. They said he was on an extended research assignment in the Philippines and planned to retire in September.
“He dedicated his career to expanding our understanding of the world’s bodies of water and protecting some of its most vulnerable ecosystems,” Old Dominion President Brian Hemphill said in a statement. He described Carpenter’s killing as sad and devastating. “His scholarship and passion impacted and inspired many individuals locally, nationally, and internationally.”
On his university webpage, Carpenter wrote that his research in marine conservation biology centered on assessing the extinction risks to fish species and plants. In 2010, he told the Associated Press that unchecked global warming could lead to the extinction of all coral reefs on the planet within 100 years.
“You could argue that a complete collapse of the marine ecosystem would be one of the consequences of losing corals,” he said. “You’re going to have a tremendous cascade effect for all life in the oceans.”
Carpenter’s interest in the Philippines stemmed from his Peace Corps assignment there in the 1970s, according to a 2007 Old Dominion newsletter.
Several Philippine environment and biodiversity centers mourned Carpenter’s death. Silliman University said Carpenter was an exceptional scientist, who had collaborated with the university on marine research work and studies since 1976.
“Dr. Carpenter made ground-breaking contributions that transformed global understanding of Philippine marine biodiversity,” the university said.
