Association Disputes ‘Crime Haven’ Tag as Trafficking Reports Mount

The Federation of Khmer Chinese in Cambodia on Wednesday disputed international media characterizations of the country as a haven for criminal syndicates as attention grows on human trafficking at scam compounds. The group, headed by Canadia Bank tycoon Pung Kheav Se, posted online that overseas outlets were “creating alarmist portrayals of Cambodia as a ‘crime haven’ for criminal syndicates” in their “exaggerated” reports of online fraud operations.

Cambodia has been wracked by accounts of human trafficking and forced labor as foreign nationals have told of being lured to work in the country only to be trapped in scam compounds. However, the Khmer Chinese federation emphasized that such criminal activities “by no means represents Cambodia’s economy as a whole.”

The group advised caution around job recruitments to Cambodia, called on the media to be objective and correct, and rejected “baseless” interpretations of fraud crimes’ significance to the country’s economy. The group’s members also include tycoon Kok An — linked to a Sihanoukville scam compound — and Land Minister Chea Sophara. [Full statement below.] Meanwhile, international reports on human trafficking have mounted over the past week.

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