An online journalist has been arrested in Cambodia after publishing footage alleging violence inside a suspected scam compound in Poipet, just metres from the provincial police headquarters.

Hem Vanna, who reports for HVNN TV Online, was detained by Banteay Meanchey Military Police on 4 February and later charged under Cambodia’s Criminal Code. Prosecutors accuse him of “inciting serious disorder to public security” and of illegally recording private speech. He is now being held in Banteay Meanchey Provincial Prison.

The video, posted on 30 January, showed a resident claiming that five foreigners were assaulted inside a sealed building believed to be linked to online fraud. The site sits barely 100 metres from the Poipet Military Police station. Authorities have denied receiving information about the alleged incident, though rights group LICADO says the case points to illegal detention linked to scam operations.

Vanna’s arrest adds to a growing list of Cambodian journalists facing prosecution for reporting on scams, gambling and sensitive security matters. At least six were detained in 2025, including reporters who published footage of alleged torture at gambling sites and others accused of harming national defence after appearing in Thai media.

The crackdown comes amid a wider government campaign against online fraud. Last weekend, police raided a massive complex in Bavet city, Svay Rieng province, detaining more than 2,000 foreign nationals. In the first nine months of 2025 alone, authorities dismantled 48 scam operations and deported nearly 3,000 people.

Press freedom groups warn that the arrests risk silencing independent reporting at a time when Cambodia is grappling with the scale of online crime. For now, Hem Vanna’s case highlights the precarious position of journalists who probe too close to the country’s most sensitive issues.

-2026-01-07

Cambodia is now in a dreadful cesspool of its own making, and is now scrambling by threats and intimidation to contain the fallout.

Does this compare with Jimmy Lai? Don't see much about this is the Press.

There hasnt been journalistic freedom ever in any ASEAN country. Cambodia is no different