Over the past two weeks, Cambodia has strengthened cooperation with relevant departments in multiple countries to continue repatriating foreign citizens suspected of engaging in telecommunications and online fraud and related illegal activities in Cambodia. According to incomplete statistics, as of February 12th local time, Cambodia has repatriated thousands of foreign nationals in the second month of this year.
In a repatriation operation carried out on February 11th, more than 800 foreign nationals from 10 countries were repatriated. Local media reported that a large number of foreign nationals involved in the cases are still being held in centralized locations, undergoing legal investigations, and awaiting repatriation in stages after the procedures are completed. Due to the large number of people involved and the complex backgrounds of those involved, this work will continue.
Earlier this year, Cambodia announced a new, larger-scale nationwide crackdown on telecommunications and online fraud.
According to official disclosures, from January 1st to early February, Cambodia conducted joint operations in multiple locations across the country, successfully dismantling and shutting down nearly 200 suspected telecommunications and online fraud dens, and arresting several masterminds and their accomplices. Meanwhile, Cambodian authorities are also maintaining close cooperation with law enforcement agencies in China, the United States, South Korea, and other countries to further investigate and dismantle the transnational criminal network behind it.
On January 31, Cambodia deployed 700 law enforcement personnel to raid a large-scale telecommunications fraud den in Svay Rieng province, arresting over 2,000 people involved, most of whom were foreigners. This was the largest operation launched by Cambodia in its recent nationwide crackdown on telecommunications fraud.
In a statement released afterward, Cambodian Interior Ministry spokesman Du Sokha said, "The Cambodian government will absolutely not relax its efforts to combat online fraud criminals." He emphasized, "Cambodia is not a safe haven for criminals."
Large-scale raids are still ongoing. On February 10, police in Sihanoukville province successfully dismantled a major telecommunications fraud syndicate hidden inside a casino, arresting over 800 suspects. On February 11, officials in Phnom Penh, the Cambodian capital, stated that the region aims to eradicate telecommunications fraud by March 30.
It is noteworthy that Cambodia is actively advancing specific legislation to systematically address the increasingly severe threat of cross-border telecommunications and online fraud. On February 11, Cambodian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Justice Koh Lock chaired an inter-ministerial meeting to review and preliminarily approve a draft law aimed at combating telecommunications and online fraud.
The aforementioned "Anti-Telecommunications and Online Fraud Law" will establish a more important and clearer legal framework to improve the efficiency of preventing, deterring, and combating technological fraud crimes. Once promulgated, it is expected to become a major legal tool for the Cambodian government in combating sophisticated fraud activities and strengthening the rule of law in the digital realm. (End)
