Cambodia Claims Scam Camps Gone; Experts Remain Skeptical

Cambodia has declared that its notorious scam compounds are gone, but experts and rights groups remain deeply skeptical of this bold claim. Senior Minister Chhay Sinarith told fifty foreign diplomats on Thursday that the nation no longer hosts any online crime hubs. He insisted large-scale operations were finally under control and that zero such compounds remained inside the country. This announcement followed a government statement citing strict legal actions against networks, officials, and the creation of new cybersecurity laws. The official report also noted criminal groups have simply moved into guesthouses, rental homes, condos, vehicles, and local coffee shops to keep running their illicit businesses. Reuters could not independently verify these sweeping assertions about total eradication. Montse Ferrer from Amnesty International expressed strong doubt that the scam industry was truly eliminated. She argued the real test is whether authorities investigated, prosecuted, and stopped the people responsible from starting again. Mark Taylor, an independent consultant against trafficking, warned that trust in this government assertion is severely misplaced. He pointed to credible signs that major scam operations still run while foreign workers continue to be recruited for these jobs. Law enforcement did investigate seven hundred ninety-three suspected locations during a specific period and raided six hundred twenty-four sites. Nearly thirty thousand suspects from thirty-nine nationalities were detained as part of this crackdown effort. Officials rescued and deported fifty-eight thousand two hundred sixty-six foreign nationals who fell victim to these schemes. Additionally, three thousand four hundred seventy-seven suspects from twenty-nine different countries were arrested and held pending trial.