Cambodia Cracks Down on Cybercrime Amidst Rising Tensions with Thailand

In a photograph released by Agence Kampuchea Press (AKP), Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet is shown delivering a speech during a ceremony for a military building in Kampong Chhnang province on July 14.

Cambodia announced that an order from Prime Minister Hun Manet to crack down on criminal cybercrime operations within the country had led to the arrest of over 1,000 suspects during the week. The Prime Minister's directive authorized state action to maintain security, public order, and social safety.

The government noted that online scams pose threats to global and regional security. Hun Manet's statement, issued on Tuesday, highlighted the infiltration of foreign criminal groups into Cambodia to engage in these scams.

According to statements from the Information Minister and police, raids conducted in at least five provinces between Monday and Wednesday resulted in the arrest of over 1,000 suspects. Those detained included individuals from various countries, such as Vietnam, China, Taiwan, and Cambodia. Equipment, including computers and hundreds of mobile phones, was also seized.

Further arrests were made in Poipet, a town on the Thai border known for cybercrime and gambling operations, where at least 270 Indonesians were apprehended. In other provinces, police arrested hundreds more, including nationals from Thailand, Bangladesh, Indonesia, Myanmar, and Vietnam.

Amnesty International recently published findings from an investigation into cybercrime in Cambodia, suggesting state complicity in abuses carried out by criminal gangs. The human rights group stated that the Cambodian government is ignoring human rights abuses, including slavery, human trafficking, child labor, and torture, occurring in scamming compounds across the country.

Human trafficking is closely linked to cybercrime operations, with workers often recruited under false pretenses and held captive. Survivors of these scamming compounds describe being trapped in a living nightmare, forced into criminal enterprises with the apparent consent of the Cambodian government.

The crackdown coincides with a dispute with Thailand, which began with a border skirmish and has escalated into border closures and nationalistic exchanges. Measures taken by Thailand, including cutting off electricity and closing crossing points, have heightened tensions. Cambodia claims these actions are retaliatory, while Thailand states its original intention was to combat cybercrime operations.