Journalist Threatened with Physical Violence Over Reporting on Cross-Border Goods Transportation

On 20 June 2026, an online journalist was reportedly threatened with physical harm by unidentified individuals while covering the transportation of goods.

The journalist told CamboJA on 3 July that he had been reporting on the alleged importation of goods from Thailand into Cambodia via the Laos–Cambodia border. While filming the transportation of goods along the border corridor, he noticed an individual photographing him before following him as he drove away.

According to the journalist, while he was on his way, he noticed a Toyota Highlander and a motorcycle following him. He said the perpetrators repeatedly attempted to ram the rear of his car.

When he reached Narong Village in Chab Pir Commune, Chab District, one of the individuals riding a motorcycle approached and struck his vehicle. The journalist said that four individuals were involved—two traveling in a Toyota Highlander and two on the motorcycle. All of them were wearing face masks, making it impossible to identify them. He locked his car doors and managed to drive away safely.
On 22 June 2026, the Preah Vihear Provincial Administration issued a statement describing the incident as a personal dispute between private individuals. The statement also stated that the journalist had not filed a formal complaint with the authorities. However, the journalist denied that there was any personal dispute between him and the individuals involved.

The journalist said he reported the incident to the police by telephone on the day it occurred. On 23 June 2026, he said Preah Vihear Provincial Police asked him to come to the police station to identify two suspects who had been arrested following his report and to determine whether they were involved in the incident.

However, upon arriving at the police station, the journalist said officers informed him that, instead of identifying suspects, he had himself been named in a complaint filed by an individual identified as Lim Chhavy, who accused him of trespassing. The journalist said he did not know the complainant and did not understand the basis of the allegation, maintaining that he had only entered the area near the border while carrying out his reporting assignment.

According to the journalist, police later informed him that the complaint against him had been forwarded to the court, while no action had been taken regarding his own report of the incident.