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An Interior Ministry official has said that nearly 600 foreigners were arrested by police during a raid on a 30-story building in Poipet city for alleged game betting, initially described by local media outlets as an online scam operation.
Early last month, the government announced the complete dismantling of large-scale scam compounds that had turned parts of the country into major hubs for industry cyber fraud while hosting an international conference on combating online scam. The conference culminated with a declaration of 11 voluntary, non-binding points for countries to implement under their domestic laws.
Banteay Meanchey deputy governor Liem Sona confirmed media reports that 587 foreigners and locals were arrested, including 105 women. Indonesians made the largest number with 518 of them, followed by Thais and Cambodians. The operation was conducted by National Police on October 4, Sona said, declining to elaborate.
A day after the online scam crackdown was published by local media, the activity carried out in the building was reframed as “online game betting”.
“There was a confusion in the wording. This is a crackdown on online game-betting, not online scam technology fraud,” said Touch Sokhak, deputy spokesperson of the Interior Ministry.
He said the government “succeeded” in cracking down on large-scale online scam operation compounds, and only small-scale ones remain, which are now being targeted by police.
Sokhak reminded that the government regulation to suspend all online gambling operations in casinos from October is aimed at tightening controls on technology-related online fraud and suspicious financial transactions.
Online scam activities have gripped Cambodia, Myanmar and Laos in the last few years with experts saying it generated “tens of billions of dollars” annually and often relying on “forced or coerced labor”. In 2023, the United Nations reported that up to 100,000 foreign nationals were working in the sector.
In a previous article by CamboJA News, analysts said they were skeptical of the crackdown as some high-level figures remain untouched, including some who have been sanctioned by the United States over alleged involvement in scam operations.
In August, high-ranking police official Um Sophal in Banteay Meanchey was arrested and interrogated following raids on online scam activities taking place in the properties he owned.
Government spokesperson Pen Bona declined to comment and referred enquiries to National Police Chhay Kim Kheoun. He could not be reached for comment.
The Indonesian embassy in Phnom Penh did not immediately respond to questions.
Independent political analyst Seng Vannly raised a few doubts, including the elimination of large scam compounds and what evidence led police to say that it was game betting and not online scam.
He said the public deserves a clear explanation, because while the raid is a positive action, there should be information about the length of the operation and why no action was taken earlier.
Vannly also acknowledged that online betting and online scams are not the same thing. “If the police described the case as betting while news outlets call it scamming, authorities should explain what the evidence shows. We should not assume that everyone detained is a scammer,” he said.
“Equally, the government should not use the word betting to avoid investigating possible fraud, forced labour or money laundering,” he added.
