Freelance Journalist Briefly Detained Over Reporting on Scam Operations

On 11 February 2026, well-known investigative journalist Mech Dara was arrested by military police in Koh Kong and briefly detained for nearly one hour after photographing a large-scale raid in the Dara Sakor area. The operation targeted compounds suspected of being involved in scam activities.

The journalist told CamboJA on 13 February 2026 that he arrived in Dara Sakor at around 4:00 p.m. to report on suspected scam compounds and took several photographs at the scene. Shortly afterward, military police pursued him and brought him to a military police base, where he was detained for approximately one hour.

During the detention, he was forced to delete the photographs from his phone and was warned not to disclose the incident to others. He was released after complying with the demand.

The journalist said he was not informed of the reason for his arrest.