Thai security agencies suspect criminal groups behind scam centres may be involved in organ trafficking, following the discovery of a hospital with operating theatres at the O'Smach complex opposite Surin province's Chong Chom border crossing.
The claims arise from evidence found after Thai troops secured the O'Smach area. Fraudsters had already fled before Thai and Cambodian forces began fighting last year, according to a special report by Anantachai Watcharasathian of TV Channel 7.
While the reported evidence has raised serious concerns, the discovery does not establish that organ trafficking took place. Security agencies believe the site may have been connected to crimes beyond online fraud and the trafficking of people into scam operations.
Hospital discovery raises suspicions
Among the most troubling findings was Song Nan Hospital, which reportedly provided more than general medical treatment and included fully equipped operating rooms.
Security agencies believe the facility may have been used for human organ trafficking. Investigators also found torture devices and underground cells which were believed to have been used to hold people who failed to meet scam-centre performance quotas.
The complex contained mock police stations representing several countries, along with uniforms and scripts used for different scam calls. Such set-ups are commonly used by fraud gangs to convince targets that they are speaking to law-enforcement officials.
Cambodia and Myanmar scam hubs
People's MP Rangsiman Rome, chairman of the House Committee on Legal Affairs, Justice and Human Rights, said he believes organ trafficking occurs at scam hubs in Cambodia.
He named O'Smach, Poipet and Bavet, and said they were linked to fraud factories in Myanmar, particularly Shwe Kokko and KK Park.
Rome attributed the suspected trade to black-market demand, saying that legal organ donation involves long waiting lists and that wealthy individuals may turn to illegal alternatives.
Interpol data indicates that, over the past five years, victims from 66 countries have been trafficked to scam centres across Southeast Asia. The figures underline the international reach of networks operating near Thailand's borders and elsewhere in the region.
Calls for action on illicit money
The government has been urged to act decisively by closing channels used for illicit capital flows and dismantling the criminal networks behind the scam centres.
The report warned that the problem could develop into a national security threat if it is allowed to grow unchecked.
Picture courtesy of TV Channel 7
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16 September 2026
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