Journalist Arrested After Reporting on Market Management Issues in Kampot

On 30 November, a publisher from Questioncam News was reportedly arbitrarily arrested by Kampot provincial police after reporting on alleged irregularities in the management of a local market.

Speaking to CamboJA on 1 December, the journalist said police officers arrived at his [friend’s house], where he was staying, and took him to the provincial police station for questioning. He declined to share details about the questions asked during the interrogation.

When asked which specific report might have prompted the arrest, he said he was unsure, explaining that he had published multiple reports exposing alleged inactivity and irregularities in Kampot province. However, he believes the arrest may be linked to a livestream he conducted on 29 November at Samiki Market, where he reported on irregularities in the market’s management.

Prior to the arrest, a post on the Questioncam News Facebook page stated that “a group of police arbitrarily arrested me and forced me to go to Kampot city after I reported irregularities at the Samiki Market.” The post was later removed.

Later that evening, at 7:40 p.m., the journalist posted an apology video addressed to Kampot provincial authorities, admitting that his earlier reporting contained incomplete information and promising to be more cautious in the future.

He told CamboJA that he believed he had done nothing wrong in his reporting. However, to protect his media outlet, he agreed to issue the apology in exchange for his release. According to him, the apology video was recorded at the police station. He was released at 8:16 p.m. the same night.