The authorities did not give a reason for the action, but it came after the United States punished a tycoon for what it said was his role in the scam compounds.
The authorities in Cambodia on Monday arrested a journalist known for his work on exposing human trafficking in online scam compounds, less than a month after the United States punished a powerful Cambodian businessman over what it said was his role in the criminal enterprise.
Mech Dara, 36, was arrested by military police officers at the request of civilian prosecutors, said Eng Hy, a spokesman for Cambodia’s military police. He declined to say what the charge was or where Mr. Mech Dara was being held, saying the investigation was “confidential.”
Mr. Mech Dara has reported extensively on Cambodia’s scam compounds — where thousands of people have been lured by the promise of legitimate jobs only to be forced under the threat of torture to cheat people online. He has documented links between them and Ly Yong Phat, a tycoon who is also a senator and a personal adviser to Prime Minister Hun Manet.
In September, the United States issued sanctions against Mr. Ly Yong Phat for “serious human rights abuse related to the treatment of trafficked workers subjected to forced labor in online scam centers.”
Cambodia’s foreign ministry has rejected the accusations, saying the sanctions were “politically motivated.”
But Jake Sims, a founding partner of Operation Shamrock, a global coalition working to fight organized cybercrime in Southeast Asia, said the penalties against Mr. Ly Yong Phat were the most meaningful policy action taken by any government since the global scamming phenomenon started several years ago. Mr. Sims said Mr. Mech Dara was crucial in unearthing the scam centers.
