PHNOM PENH: The Cambodian government has pledged to intensify the ongoing crackdowns on transnational crime and online scam networks, insisting that the kingdom will no longer allow itself to serve as a safe haven for international criminal syndicates.
Speaking at the May 19 opening ceremony of a training course on “International Cooperation in Cases Related to Cybercrime” in Preah Sihanouk province, Chhay Sinarith, permanent vice-chairman of the Committee for Countering Online Scams (CCOS), warned that cyber-enabled crimes were becoming increasingly sophisticated and had evolved into a cross-border security challenge requiring stronger international cooperation.
The three-day training programme, held from May 19 to 21, brought together law enforcement and judicial officials to learn from international specialists, and strengthen their investigative capacity, legal cooperation and responses to cybercrime, online scams and human trafficking.
Participants included representatives from the Ministry of Justice, the Royal Academy for Judicial Professions of Cambodia, the Anti-Cybercrime Department and the Anti-Human Trafficking and Juvenile Protection Department under the National Police, as well as experts from the UN Office on Drugs and Crime, the Ministry of Justice of South Korea and the EU.
Sinarith said the training would help strengthen officials’ understanding of mutual legal assistance procedures, digital evidence management, cross-border investigations and mechanisms for identifying, protecting and supporting victims of human trafficking.
He noted that cybercrime was increasing both in complexity and scale, with criminal networks exploiting the internet and advanced technologies to deceive and lure victims.
Sinarith acknowledged that as a small, open and developing country, Cambodia had increasingly become a target for foreign criminal networks seeking to use its territory as a base for illegal online operations.
“Almost every country recognises that this issue is transnational in nature and cannot be solved by any country acting alone,” he added.
The remarks come as South-East Asia faces mounting concern over online scam syndicates, many of which are linked to human trafficking, forced labour and large-scale financial fraud targeting victims around the world.
In recent years, Cambodia has come under intense international scrutiny over cyber scam operations and trafficking activities that have damaged the country’s international reputation. Many scam compounds operated by foreign criminal syndicates have been linked to large-scale digital fraud schemes, including romance scams and cryptocurrency fraud.
On April 24, Cambodian authorities announced that they had investigated more than 250 online scam locations and shut down 91 casinos between July 2025 and mid-April 2026.
The government also said that 241,888 foreigners from countries including China, Pakistan and Indonesia had voluntarily departed Cambodia between mid-January and April 19.
Sinarith also thanked the UNODC, South Korea and the EU for their financial and technical support, saying the cooperation reflected the international community’s shared responsibility and commitment to combating transnational crimes that threaten global security and public safety. - The Phnom Penh Post/ANN
