PHNOM PENH: Authorities in Banteay Meanchey province have dismantled more than 200 online scam operations and detained tens of thousands of foreign suspects over the past seven months, but the provincial governor said Poipet has not yet been completely cleared of scam activities.
Governor Oum Reatrey said the operations were carried out by joint law enforcement forces and the provincial unified command committee as part of an intensified campaign against technology-enabled fraud.
Among the tens of thousands of foreigners identified during the raids, many have already been deported by Cambodian immigration authorities, while others remain in prison pending legal proceedings.
“As of now, we have cracked down on more than 200 locations across Banteay Meanchey province and discovered tens of thousands of foreign nationals,” Reatrey said.
“Some have been deported, while many others remain in prison, including both foreign nationals and Cambodian suspects involved in these offences,” he added.
The governor said deportations had been coordinated by the General Department of Immigration, with foreigners returned to countries including Vietnam, China, Indonesia and Thailand via the Poipet International Border Checkpoint.
He added that many of the operations targeted large compounds, with the number of suspects ranging from a few hundred to as many as 2,000 in some cases.
Reatrey acknowledged that the campaign had relied on close cooperation between multiple law enforcement agencies and the provincial unified command.
He thanked the officers and other officials involved, noting that many operations continued late into the night.
According to the governor, the four most challenging areas during the seven-month campaign were Poipet town, Malai district, Svay Chek district and Ou Chrov district.
However, he said authorities had effectively dismantled scam operations in Malai and Svay Chek.
“Over the past seven months we have enforced the law very strictly in Malai district, where operations have now been completed. The same applies to Svay Chek district,” he said.
“I cannot yet say Ou Chrov has been one hundred per cent cleared, but the major operations appear to have been eliminated, and we are continuing to pursue the remaining cases. Poipet town has not yet been completely cleared,” he added.
The governor’s comments came as Cambodia continued a nationwide campaign against transnational crime syndicates.
Earlier this month, General Department of Immigration director-general Sok Veasna told the Ministry of Interior television channel that more than 45,000 foreigners had been deported in the first six months of 2026, including more than 16,000 people detained at scam sites.
He said the number of deportations exceeded the total number of foreign nationals deported during the previous decade.
Separately, an Interior Ministry report on the latest phase of the anti-online scam campaign said authorities had conducted 40 operations in Phnom Penh and the provinces of Kandal, Banteay Meanchey, Preah Sihanouk, Koh Kong, Kampong Speu, Svay Rieng and Kampong Cham during the first two weeks of July.
Ministry deputy spokesman Touch Sokhak said the operations resulted in the detention of 636 people from 21 nations.
Of them, police transferred nine suspects from three countries to court for prosecution, while 627 people from 17 nationalities remained under investigation. – Phnom Penh Post
