Prominent Cambodian journalist arrested: rights groups

Award-winning Cambodian freelance journalist Mech Dara, who reported regularly on trafficking and cyberscam compounds, was arrested in the southwestern part of the country on Monday afternoon, a rights groups and local journalists’ association said, though his whereabouts remain unknown. 

Six police cars intercepted Dara’s car at the Srae Ambel toll booth in Koh Kong province while he was driving to Phnom Penh, a relative who was with him told human rights group Licadho.

Last year, Dara won the U.S. State Department’s human trafficking Hero Award for his coverage of Cambodia’s scam-compounds, where an estimated 100,000 have been forced to work – under threat of violence – as the perpetrators of online scams targeting people across the world.

Dara’s reporting included stories for Voice of Democracy linking Cambodian businessman Ly Yong Phat to scam compounds. Known as the “king of Koh Kong,” Ly Yong Phat and his LYP Group conglomerate were sanctioned earlier this month by the U.S. Treasury Department for alleged abuses related to the treatment of trafficked workers in online scam centers. 

“Arresting one of Cambodia’s bravest journalists will have a devastating effect on access to information for all Cambodians,” said Naly Pilorge, outreach co-director at Licadho.

Dara sent a text message to Licadho informing them of his arrest, but as of 10:30pm they had not been able to determine where he was being held, said Pilorge. 

RFA Khmer attempted to contact government officials but were unable to get any confirmation of the arrest.

The Cambodian Journalists Alliance Association, or CamboJA, said it had confirmed the arrest with Eng Hy, a military police spokesman, who did not reveal the reason or where the journalist had been sent.

Facebook photos of quarry

While the reason for the arrest remains unknown, the Cambodian Journalists Alliance Association said in a statement it came one day after Dara reportedly posted since-deleted photos to Facebook that appeared to show how a quarry operation had destroyed the concrete stairs leading to a pagoda in Prey Veng province called Ba Phnom, a local tourist destination. 

The Prey Veng provincial administration on Monday released a statement condemning the post and accusing the journalist of causing “social disorder.” The same day, Fresh News, a government-friendly outlet, on Monday published an article labeling Dara’s post “fake news.” 

Dara previously reported for The Cambodia Daily, which shut down in 2017 citing government pressure; The Phnom Penh Post, which was purchased by a government-friendly businessman in 2018; and Voice of Democracy, which had its license revoked by the Cambodian government in February 2023. 

His arrest set off a flurry of concerned social media posts from local and international journalists and others, who highlighted his fearless reporting. 

“There is NO SCENARIO in which this is not a politically motivated arrest,” J Daniel Sims, a visiting expert on transnational crime with the United States Institute of Peace, posted on X. 

Mech Dara “has been a leading voice shedding light on state-affiliated criminal industries for years amidst mounting repression. Concerned govts must call on @Dr_Hunmanet_PM to release him immediately.”

A State Department spokesperson told RFA they were aware of the reported arrest and were “following developments closely with great concern.”

Additional reporting by Alex Willemyns. Edited by Malcolm Foster.