Mekong Independent The sweeping crackdown on online scam compounds in Sihanoukville has left thousands of Cambodian workers jobless and struggling to survive. Once a booming construction hub fuelled by Chinese investment, the coastal city is now dotted with half‑finished buildings and deserted streets, as projects stalled when scam operators fled or were arrested. Workers like 59‑year‑old Ny, who lost her construction job earlier this year, say they have been forced into scavenging or borrowing money just to eat. Others, such as Sopheap, 33, are owed months of wages by subcontractors who vanished when sites closed. “Now we have become homeless people,” she told reporters, describing debts piling up with no prospect of repayment. Local officials admit the raids have frozen dozens of properties, leaving construction teams without pay. Some workers have staged small protests demanding salaries, but say their pleas have been ignored. “The authorities do not pay attention to our concerns,” said Seng Heang, a 46‑year‑old who now collects cans to earn barely $5 a day. The closures have rippled through the wider economy. Vendors who once thrived on the spending power of scam workers now struggle to make ends meet. A seafood seller said his daily takings had plunged from $100 to $25, while a security guard who used to earn generous tips now makes just $2.50 a day. With Chinatown emptied and casinos sealed, Sihanoukville’s transformation from boomtown to ghost town is stark. For many Cambodian labourers who migrated in search of steady work, the crackdown has not only dismantled illicit businesses but also destroyed their livelihoods, leaving them trapped in debt and uncertainty. -2026-09-03
