After his arrest for Facebook posts, a Cambodian reporter says he will become a farmer instead

PHNOM PENH, Cambodia (AP) — It’s tough being a reporter in Cambodia, whose government frowns on independent journalism that questions authority.

Veteran investigative reporter Mech Dara learned the hard way, when he was recently jailed on a felony charge for some items he had posted on Facebook.

Now he plans to be a farmer, he said Tuesday.

In a statement of support last month from Cambodian media organizations and civil society groups, Mech Dara was praised as “a front-line investigative journalist whose stories over the last decade have uncovered corruption, environmental destruction, and human trafficking at scam compounds across the country, and has consistently pushed for accountability and justice.”