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Thailand revoked the Thai citizenship of Cambodian Senator Ly Yong Phat on Friday and froze more than $2 million in assets, in the latest action targeting Cambodian elites accused of scam operations.
Phat, a tycoon and senator from the ruling Cambodian People’s Party who previously held dual Thai-Cambodian citizenship, and his businesses have long faced allegations of human rights abuses, including exploiting trafficked workers in online scam compounds.
He was sanctioned by the United States last year over those allegations, prompting apparent sanction-evasion efforts after companies tied to him and his family vanished from public records, according to transnational crime experts.
It was not immediately clear which of Ly Yong Phat’s Thai-based assets, worth a total of 70 million baht ($2.1 million), were seized by Thailand’s Anti-Money Laundering Office.
He told CamboJA News by phone that he had “no money” in Thailand, without clarifying whether he owns property there.
Phat denied involvement in scam operations or human trafficking networks, saying he runs legal businesses and that the Cambodian government would have prosecuted him if he were guilty of such crimes.
His comments follow accusations from the U.S. State Department that senior Cambodian officials have profited from the illicit scam industry, which regional crime experts estimate generates $12.5 billion to $19 billion a year and relies on more than 150,000 trafficked workers.
Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul signed the order revoking the citizenship of “Phat Suphapa,” the name under which Phat was recognized in Thailand.
“This clearly shows our government is taking action where others in the past did not – even though we’ve only been in office for a few weeks and haven’t had much time,” Anutin told reporters.
Cambodian officials called the Thai move an internal matter.
“I have nothing to comment on this case. This issue happened in Thailand, so let them solve it by themselves. We are not interfering in their internal affairs,” said Chea Thyrith, spokesperson for Senate President Hun Sen, the influential former leader to whom Phat was appointed as a personal adviser in 2022.
Interior Ministry spokesperson Touch Sokhak also described the case as Thailand’s internal matter but added that both countries had agreed to cooperate on tackling cross-border scam networks under a broader ceasefire agreement. He said Cambodian citizens are subject only to Cambodian law.
Government spokesperson Pen Bona did not immediately respond to request for comment.
The move against Phat is the latest targeting Cambodian elites linked to scam operations, amid renewed tensions between the neighbors that earlier this year sparked a brief deadly border clash.
Thai authorities raided 19 properties in and around Bangkok in July linked to Cambodian senator and businessman Kok An, and later issued an arrest warrant.
But as Anutin highlights Thailand’s clampdown on scam operations, Thai political elites have also faced scrutiny.
On Wednesday, Deputy Finance Minister Vorapak Tanyawong announced he would step down following allegations linking him and his wife to scam networks in Cambodia.
