A Cambodian reporter who investigated online scam centers has been arrested

Associated Press

PHNOM PENH, Cambodia (AP) — A Cambodian freelance reporter noted for his bold investigative reporting in a country with limited press freedom has been arrested. A leading local human rights organization and a journalists association said Mech Dara was arrested by military police but the charge and where he is being held were not announced. Mech Dara is best known for his reports about human trafficking connected to online scam operations, in which people are kept in virtual slavery in compounds where they they go online to target people around the world. But his arrests follows posts he made about a rock quarry that local officials have denounced as an attempt to foment dissent.