UN

 

 

 

The United States has imposed sweeping sanctions on nearly 20 individuals and companies in Myanmar and Cambodia, aiming to dismantle a sprawling cyber scam industry built on human trafficking and forced labour. The move, announced by the Treasury Department on 8 September, marks a significant escalation in Washington’s efforts to combat transnational crime networks operating across Southeast Asia.

 

Nine entities linked to Myanmar’s Shwe Kokko city and ten in Cambodia were sanctioned under the Magnitsky Act, which blocks access to US financial systems and bars entry into the country. Among those named are Tin Win, Saw Min Min Oo, and Chit Linn Myaing Co, accused of operating under the protection of the Karen National Army, and She Zhijiang, the developer behind Shwe Kokko’s notorious Yatai New City compound.

 

In Cambodia, sanctions target Dong Lecheng, Xu Aimin, Chen Al Len, and Su Liangsheng, along with six companies allegedly involved in converting hotels and casinos into scam centres. These operations are part of a multibillion-dollar global fraud network, often linked to Chinese organised crime, that has defrauded victims worldwide through schemes known as “pig-butchering”—where scammers build fake relationships to lure individuals into bogus investments.

 

John K Hurley, Undersecretary for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence, stated that the industry poses a dual threat: undermining financial security and perpetuating modern slavery. “Thousands are trapped in these compounds, subjected to violence and coercion,” he said, noting that Americans lost over $10 billion to such scams last year alone.

 

Estimates suggest around 150,000 people are enslaved in Cambodian scam centres, with another 100,000 in Myanmar. Many were trafficked under false promises of employment and now face brutal conditions. Shwe Kokko, near the Thai border, has become a focal point for repatriation efforts, with Thai authorities helping rescue foreign victims.

 

The sanctions signal growing international pressure on regional governments to crack down on cybercrime and human trafficking. As these networks evolve, so too must the global response—one that balances enforcement with protection for the victims caught in their grip.

 

 

-2025-09-09

Trafficking in persons and forced labour are criminalised in Thailand, mirroring the ASEAN Convention Against Trafficking in Persons. It seems mirroring ASEAN is more illusion than solution.

On 9/9/2025 at 8:43 AM, geovalin said:

Estimates suggest around 150,000 people are enslaved in Cambodian scam centres, with another 100,000 in Myanmar.

 

Some numbers are truly shocking.