Over 1,000 arrested as Cambodia “cracks down on online scams”

Cambodian authorities are cracking down on cybercrime operations, arresting more than 1,000 potential suspects.

The arrests followed raids in at least five provinces between Monday and Wednesday, according to Al Jazeera.

Prime Minister of Cambodia, Hun Manet, issued the directive made public on Tuesday, in which he authorized state action for "maintaining and protecting security, public order, and social safety.”

He added that law enforcement and the military should “prevent and crack down on online scams”, threatening job losses if they failed to act.

"The government has observed that online scams are currently causing threats and insecurity in the world and the region," Hun Manet said in a statement.

"In Cambodia, foreign criminal groups have also infiltrated to engage in online scams."

The 100+ arrested in the capital Phnom Penh and the southern city of Sihanoukville included 85 Cambodians, more than 200 Vietnamese, 27 Chinese, and 75 suspects from Taiwan. Police also seized computers and hundreds of mobile phones.

In addition, on Wednesday in Poipet, police arrested at least 270 individuals, including 45 women. Police also detained 312 people in the northeastern province of Kratie and arrested 27 people from Vietnam, China, and Myanmar in the western province of Pursat.

Cybercrime has become a lucrative industry in Cambodia, accounting for as much as 60% of the country’s formal GDP — estimates range from $12.5 to $19 billion per year. The most popular types of cybercrime in Cambodia are online scams, money laundering, and other forms of fraud, often involving forced labor and transnational criminal networks.

Many experts have criticized the Cambodian government for doing too little to prevent the spike in illicit cyber activity, suggesting insider ties and corruption. In September, the US sanctioned Cambodian businessman Ly Yong Phat for human rights abuse related to the treatment of trafficked workers forced into online scam operations.

“The Cambodian government has been deliberately ignoring a litany of human rights abuses including slavery, human trafficking, child labour and torture being carried out by criminal gangs on a vast scale in more than 50 scamming compounds located across the country,” said Amnesty International after completing its 18-month-long research.