"Journalists and environmental activists detained, beaten", 16 August 2022

Five journalists from local independent media outlet VOD and four environmental activists from Khmer Thavarak were detained for about seven hours …, after reporting on a land clearance controversy at a wildlife sanctuary.

The nine were arrested at about 11 am at Phnom Tamao Zoo, after authorities said they’d entered a prohibited area, and were taken to Bati district police station.

Takeo provincial police chief Chheang Phannara confirmed that the reporters and activists had been detained for questioning but said they had since been freed and declined to comment further.

But one environmental activist and a video reporter said they were handled violently during the arrest and punched by men who claimed they were from Prime Minister Hun Sen’s bodyguard unit.

Hun Vannak, an activist with youth group Khmer Thavarak, said that he was beaten up by a member of the bodyguard unit and arrested along with the VOD reporters – who were flying a drone to take pictures of the site which had been cleared and is now being replanted with trees.

“I refused to get into the car and he punched me in the face three times and jumped to kick my head,” Mr. Vannak told … after his release.

… “It is intimidation, and they used violence,” Mr. Vannak said…

Mom Moniroth, a reporter from VOD who was also detained and released, said that his colleague, a video reporter, was slapped in the face.

“My cameraman was slapped in the face and some members of the youth group were also beaten by the bodyguard unit,” he said…