bodyType

customContents

entityId

entityUuid

articlePageQuery

filter

article

articleBaseAdvertisingInfoArticle

articleListArticle

articleSeoArticle

hooksArticleAcknowledgementGateOverlayArticle

hooksTrackPageViewArticle

hooksContentInterestArticle

articleLinkingDataContent

hooksAmpRedirectArticle

articleSchemaContent

liveArticle

advertZone

sentiment

contentLock

topics

types

sections

paywallTypes

createdDate

publishedDate

urlAlias

moreOnThisArticles

sponsorType

commentCount

authorLocations

authors

corrections

displaySlideShow

multimediaEmbed

printHeadline

seriesContainer

articleSpeeches

socialHeadline

headline

images

flag

firstTopic

glossary

flattenTypeIds

image

relatedLinks

relatedNewsletters

__typename

sponsor

pdfFiles

seriesReverseOrder

series

disableOffPlatformContent

published

updatedDate

summary

subHeadline

body

keywords

readingTime

customTimezone

liveContents

Reuters

A Cambodian labour activist faces deportation home from Thailand over his role in making a sex-trafficking documentary that angered the Southeast Asian nation’s government, which dismissed it as fake, his wife said on Friday.
The ruling party of Prime Minister Hun Sen has launched a crackdown on those it says are critics of the government, including human rights advocates and opposition politicians.
Rath Rott Mony, 47, was arrested in Bangkok on Friday as he attempted to travel to the Netherlands with his family after helping produce the documentary for the Russia Today channel in October.
Cambodia must come to terms with its dark past
His wife, Long Kimheang, said in Bangkok that she feared Thai police would send him back to Cambodia.
“Police arrested my husband and they told me that Cambodian police had sent them a document, saying he produced a false story,” Long Kimheang said.
“I am worried when they deport my husband, he will be put in prison.”

Thai immigration officials were not immediately available for comment.
In a statement, Russia Today said it was highly concerned about the detention.
“We … are doing everything we can to help resolve the situation, including via diplomatic channels,” it said, adding that it never pays participants or interview subjects.
Cambodia may reverse five-year ban on 100 members of opposition after EU threatens trading access
The documentary, My Mother Sold Me, included an account of a poor Cambodian girl who was sold into sex work, prompting authorities to question those involved.
Authorities later said the mother and daughter were paid to lie in the documentary, according to Cambodian police.
Cambodian police spokesman Chhay Kim Khoeun confirmed that police had asked for Rath Rott Mony, president of the Cambodian Construction Workers Trade Union Federation, to be deported.
“The documentary is a made-up story that destroys Cambodia’s culture and reputation,” he said.


Escaped Malaysian reveals torture, rape inside Cambodia job scam centre

Thailand, Cambodia clash at UN mine ban talks as ‘fragile’ border truce teeters

Chinese man wounded in landmine explosion on Cambodia-Thailand border

Myanmar’s cyberscam crackdown: just a pre-poll ‘law-and-order’ show?

Cambodia

Cambodian government critic held in Thailand over sex-trafficking documentary, says his wife

Cambodian Rath Rott Mony was arrested in Bangkok on Friday as he attempted to travel to the Netherlands with his family. Photo: AFP

Cambodia's Prime Minister Hun Sen attends a news conference with his Vietnamese counterpart Nguyen Xuan Phuc (not pictured) in Hanoi, Vietnam December 7, 2018. REUTERS/Kham

Cambodian government critic held in Thailand over sex-trafficking documentary, says his wife

Activist Rath Rott Mony has been accused of producing a ‘made-up story’