PHNOM PENH, Cambodia, Feb. 5 -- Cambodia's Interior Ministry confirmed Wednesday it had blocked a British journalist known for his reporting on human rights abuses and environmental issues, an incident that comes amid growing concerns over press freedom in the Southeast Asian nation.

Gerald Flynn, a reporter with U.S.-based conservation news website Mongabay, was denied reentry into the country over problems with his visa after a brief trip to neighboring Thailand in January, said Interior Ministry spokesperson Touch Sokhak.

He said Flynn claimed to be an electrician on his original visa application but instead worked as a journalist.

"He cheated Cambodia," Sokhak said.

But Flynn called the claim "bizarre," noting that the blacklistin...