A police raid in Phnom Penh has led to the arrest of seven Korean nationals and two Cambodian men suspected of running online romance scams from a rented villa in the capital. The operation, carried out after a month‑long surveillance effort, marks the latest move by Cambodian authorities to clamp down on cross‑border cybercrime networks.

 

Police entered the property in Kilometre Pram Muoy commune, in Russei Keo district, on Saturday, detaining the group and seizing laptops, desktop computers and tablets believed to have been used in the alleged fraud. According to Lieutenant Colonel Nhim Chandeth of the Internal Security Office, the two Cambodian suspects were working as drivers for the Korean group.

 

During questioning, the seven Korean detainees reportedly admitted to running romance‑based scams targeting victims overseas rather than within Cambodia. Investigators are now conducting forensic examinations of the confiscated devices to determine the scale of the operation and identify potential victims.

 

The suspects are being held at Phnom Penh Municipal Police Headquarters while the investigation continues. Interior Minister Sar Sokha said the arrests were the result of cooperation between Cambodian and South Korean authorities, describing the case as an example of the country’s growing commitment to tackling cybercrime. He emphasised the need for close information‑sharing between law enforcement agencies across the region.

 

The romance‑scam arrests come as Cambodian police deal with a separate and far more violent case involving the abduction and torture of six Chinese nationals. On 4 December, a Chinese man was reportedly forced into a white Range Rover in Bavet City, Svay Rieng province, before being taken to a location where he and others were held and abused.

 

A rapid investigation led by the Criminal Police Department, working with provincial officers, resulted in the arrest of eight foreign suspects the same day. The group includes two Chinese nationals and six Myanmar nationals. All six victims were rescued, and police say they recovered evidence linked to the torture.

 

The two cases highlight the range of criminal activity Cambodian authorities are confronting, from online fraud networks to violent cross‑border gangs. Police say further updates will follow as both investigations progress.

 

 

 

 

-2025-12-08

A token gesture to pretend Hun Sen is doing something about these scams, when in reality it forms a large part of his income stream.

9 hours ago, Scouse123 said:

A token gesture to pretend Hun Sen is doing something about these scams, when in reality it forms a large part of his income stream.

 Utter garbage! Proof please.

27 minutes ago, Burma Bill said:

 Utter garbage! Proof please.

 

You actually believe this dispute is about an old temple?

 

Hun Sen has raped that country for years and used it as his , and his family's personal piggy bank.

10 hours ago, Burma Bill said:

 Utter garbage! Proof please.

Garbage you say?

 

 

It’s been a recurring theme among regional analysts and human-rights observers that Hun Sen’s long-dominant, effectively one-party system has repeatedly leaned on the Preah Vihear temple dispute as a convenient political shield.

 

Critics argue that every time international scrutiny intensifies—particularly over Cambodia’s failure to seriously confront sprawling scam centres, human-trafficking compounds, and organised criminal networks—the government pivots back to nationalist posturing around the border issue.

 

Whether by design or by political instinct, the result is the same: the temple dispute becomes a distraction, diverting attention from the far more pressing question of why these criminal operations have been allowed to flourish for so long inside Cambodia’s borders.

 

You ask for proof?

 

OK, Read these by respected organizations.

 

✅ Recent reporting & analysis linking scam centres — politics — border/tension narratives

• Amnesty International — report condemning Cambodian “scam-centres”, forced labour/trafficking, and state inaction

  • According to the report, over 50 scam centres across the country operate under conditions of abuse, forced labour, torture, child-trafficking & exploitation, with “apparent consent of the Cambodian government.” Reuters+1

  • The industry is described as massive, perhaps generating billions annually. Wikipedia+1

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• UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) & other reports on “scam-centres in Cambodia” — overview of forced labour, online-fraud operations, human trafficking, and organised crime in compounds based in hotels, casinos, and residences across Cambodia. Wikipedia+2Democracy Community+2

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• Humanity Research Consultancy (HRC) / investigative reporting — argues that Cambodian politicians and elite businessmen benefit from or are complicit in scam-centre networks. Wikipedia+1

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    These claims suggest the scam industry enjoys protection or tolerance from certain powerful figures. Wikipedia+1

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• Recent journalistic analysis linking border tensions between Preach Vi hear / disputed border zone and the spread of scam-centre operations along the border, suggesting that part of the conflict may be driven by competition over illicit economies and gambling/scam-centre interests rather than purely territorial-historical grievances. Foreign Policy+2Democracy Community+2

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• Coverage of 2025 enforcement and crackdown attempts: e.g. the border dispute has recently overlapped with efforts — by Cambodian & Thai authorities — to dismantle at least some scam centres. Bloomberg+2Thai PBS World+2

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    For example: a financial pipeline allegedly linked to a Cambodian firm called Huione Group has come under scrutiny by Thai cyber-police, including questions about a possible relation to a family member of Hun Sen.