On the 8th, Amnesty International released a report pointing out that although Cambodian authorities have conducted months of crackdowns on transnational scam compounds in the country, out of 86 known sites, only 24 have been shut down by the government, while dozens more suspected scam centers are still in operation.
According to various foreign media reports, the UK-based Amnesty International criticized in this 176-page report that many of Cambodia’s crackdowns are passive or ineffective, or that the effectiveness is undermined because it is apparent that scam compound operators collude with police. For example, some escapees said that during raids, they were moved to different locations within Cambodia to evade investigation.
● Experts: Crackdowns are performative
Dickson, an Associate Fellow in Intelligence, Security, and Technology Project at Washington’s Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), analyzed: “We still believe that these crackdowns are largely performative in nature. Key personnel of scam centers may be tipped off before raids, so the core criminals are not actually targeted.”
Baroud, a crime intelligence analyst for INTERPOL’s Trafficking in Human Beings and Illegal Migration Unit in Lyon, France, said there are indications that Cambodian scam compounds are gradually shifting to smaller-scale operations and even appearing in residential areas. “Have the crackdowns ended scam activities? It doesn’t seem so. These scam centers still exist; they’ve just relocated elsewhere.”
● Escapees from compounds regarded as illegal immigrants
Amnesty International also accused the Cambodian authorities of treating those who escaped or were released from scam compounds as illegal immigrants, rather than as victims of human trafficking.
The report concluded that Cambodia’s crackdown on scam compounds failed in two key areas: both in investigating and shutting down some of the most notorious compounds, and in providing protection and assistance to those who escaped or were removed from such compounds.
However, the Cambodian government issued a statement refuting Amnesty International’s claims. Chhay Sinarith, the Cambodian State Minister in charge of combating online fraud, called the report “selective, one-sided, and lacking a full understanding of the situation on the ground.”
According to him, Cambodia has revoked the operating licenses of 25 casinos suspected of involvement in scams, prosecuted nearly 1,500 suspects from 19 countries, and expelled nearly 19,000 foreigners; about 290,000 related foreign nationals have voluntarily left the country.
The Cambodian government’s statement noted that cracking down on scam centers is difficult because the criminal networks in question cross national borders, are highly adaptable, and are meticulously arranged to evade law enforcement.