The professional membership of the Foreign Correspondents' Club of Thailand is deeply concerned about the reported arrest and detention of Mech Dara, a Cambodian journalist whose whereabouts at the time of writing remain unknown. The grounds for his arrest and charges, if any, are also unknown.
Dara was arrested at a checkpoint as he was driving with relatives on a highway in southwestern Cambodia on Sept. 30. This followed Facebook posts he made about environmental damage at a rock quarry that officials denounced on Monday as causing “social disorder”.
Dara is one of Cambodia's best-known investigative journalists and a recipient of the US State Department's 2023 Trafficking in Persons Report Hero Award for his work exposing "pig butchering" scam centres operating in Cambodia.
The independent Cambodian Journalists Alliance Association reported on Facebook that military police spokesperson Eng Hy had confirmed Dara’s arrest. He said it had been carried out with a warrant, but did not give a reason or say where Dara had been taken.
Dara’s arrest comes after nearly all independent media outlets in Cambodia have been closed or silenced amid the steady weaponization of laws and regulations aimed at curbing free speech.
The FCCT calls on Cambodian authorities to reveal the grounds for Dara's arrest and his whereabouts, and to assure the international community of his safety. It also calls on embassies in Phnom Penh, concerned governments and international organizations to bring pressure to bear on the Cambodian government to ensure transparency and due process.1 October 2024
Stay Connected With FCCT
Join our mailing list or visit our events page to see what’s coming up at the club.
