Once those local syndicates were largely dismantled or relocated, the focus shifted to Cambodia and its flourishing scam centres.
Criminal acts of online fraud, illegal detention, and associated transnational crimes “posed a serious obstacle” to deepening cooperation between the two countries, Wang Wenbin, the Chinese ambassador to Cambodia, said during meetings with Cambodian Foreign Minister Prak Sokhonn and Interior Minister Sar Sokha last month.
“Recent incidents involving Chinese nationals going missing or disappearing in Cambodia have drawn China’s close attention,” a Chinese foreign ministry statement quoted Wang as saying.
“The frequent occurrence of such cases runs counter to the traditional friendship between China and Cambodia.”
Several high-level Cambodian officials, including Prak Sokhonn and Deputy Prime Minister Sun Chanthol, have pledged to keep up the fight against the fraud industry.
“Online fraud has damaged Cambodia’s national reputation and image, and we will spare no effort to eradicate this problem,” Sun Chanthol said last month.
According to a report last week from Cambodia’s Ad-Hoc Committee to Combat Online Scams, a total of 5,106 suspects from 23 countries were arrested for online scams in Cambodia over the last seven months.
Of these, 4,534 were deported to their home countries.
This article was first published on SCMP.
https://www.channelnewsasia.com/asia/cambodia-raids-scam-compound-crackdown-china-pressure-5900121
