The Tourism Ministry echoed the National Police in denying a misleading report by a South Korean media outlet which alleged that Koreans and other foreigners were trafficked and forced to work in online scam operations. The ministry was concerned about the impact of the report on international tourists visiting Cambodia.
Last week, the National Police raided a housing complex in Kampong Speu province, where previous reports linked it to suspected scam operations, with the detention of about 1,000 foreign nationals, mainly Chinese and Koreans.
On Sunday, the ministry rejected KBS News’ broadcast which recently alleged that Korean citizens had been subjected to illegal detention, forced labor and threats in Cambodia.
For the first nine months of 2024, some 4.8 million foreign tourists visited Cambodia, indicating an increase of 22.2 percent, the ministry said, noting that this included 144,293 tourists from Korea, up 14.8 percent, compared to the same period in 2023.
Ministry spokesperson Top Sopheak stressed that what KBS News broadcast “did not happen in Cambodia”.
“Although the broadcast did not directly affect tourism, it had a small impact on current travelers, so we would like to inform national and international tourists that there is no such case [in Cambodia] and urge them to please visit Cambodia,” he said.
He added that the government is committed to fighting human trafficking, illegal detaintion and torture.
According to KBS News, which highlighted “Mango Park” in Kampong Speu, the number of employment scams and kidnapping reported to the Korean embassy in Cambodia has “increased more than five folds”, from 16 cases in 2023 to 82 cases involving 105 people as of August 2024.
Interior Ministry spokesperson Touch Sokhak referred questions to the National Police for detailed information.
However, neither National Police spokesperson Chhay Kim Khoeun nor General Department of Immigration director-general Sok Veasna could be reached for comment.
The South Korean embassy in Phnom Penh did not respond to questions via email.
In September, former Tourism Minister Sok Soken and Inspection Minister Huot Hak swapped positions following an approval on the cabinet reshuffle by the National Assembly to help the tourism sector recover from post-pandemic effects.
Ho Vandy, chairman of Cambodian Tourism Association, said the KBS News report had two major impacts on the nation. One, it damaged the country’s reputation, and second, it instilled fear in the Cambodian people.
He said the report has also negatively impacted the tourism sector. “It creates distrust among tourists.” This distrust affects two groups – those who wish to visit Cambodia, and those interested in investing in Cambodia.
Vandy felt that the ministry’s statement of rejection of the Korean broadcast was beneficial as it let Cambodians know that the government had issued a response. However, this action alone was still inadequate, he remarked.
“It is ineffective unless it directly reaches Korean people,” he said. “Only if the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Public Administration of South Korea or the Korean television station itself issues a correction, will it be effective,” Vandy said.
NGO rights group Licadho operations director Am Sam Ath said in the past, many international media outlets have reported online scams operations and human trafficking in Cambodia, which has negatively impacted the country’s reputation, including foreign investments.
“This image is not good for Cambodia and its reputation, especially the effect on foreign tourists, investment and social security or safety,” he said.
“So, online scams are still a controversial issue, and it has demanded Cambodia’s effort to thoroughly work on it by substantiating its denial before quickly responding without investigation.” It only resulted in criticism or suspicion when quick responses are made without investigation, he added.
Sam Ath also noticed that some countries like India have reminded its citizens to be cautious when visiting Cambodia.
Seven Indian youths were rescued from a job scam in Cambodia and repatriated home, according to the Times of India on October 27. As of July this year, a total of 450 Indian citizens were rescued after being trapped in scam compounds in Cambodia.
