A Cambodian reporter who investigated online scam centers has been arrested

PHNOM PENH, Cambodia (AP) — Cambodian freelance reporter Mech Dara, noted for investigative reporting in a country with limited press freedom, was arrested Monday, a leading local human rights organization and a journalists association said.

Known especially for investigating online scam centers, Mech Dara’s arrest followed posts he made about a rock quarry that local officials denounced Monday as an attempt to foment dissent.

Mech Dara managed to send an SMS message to the rights group Licadho saying he was being arrested by military police before his phone was seized, said Am Sam Ath, a Licadho spokesperson.

The Associated Press was not immediately able to confirm the arrest, news of which circulated Monday night after government offices were closed. However, CamboJA News, a project run by the independent Cambodian Journalists Alliance Association, published details of the incident, citing unnamed members of Mech Dara’s family.

CamboJA on its Facebook page also reported that military police spokesperson Eng Hy confirmed the arrest, saying it had been carried out with a warrant, but did not give the cause or say where Mech Dara had been taken.

A family member whom CamboJA did not name said Mech Dara’s car was stopped at a toll booth at the entrance to the expressway to Phnom Penh when police arrived in a military vehicle and five other cars. The relative said the authorities cited an arrest warrant, but did not show the document.

The relative said Mech Dara’s phone was seized and that his family members were asked to stay in their car and remain silent.

The police action may have been related to two images Mech Dara posted on his Facebook page of a quarry operation and of the revered mountain Ba Phnom, which has a Buddhist