Cambodian authorities’ recent crackdown on cybercrime networks is largely seen as a public relations exercise designed to appease foreign governments rather than dismantle Southeast Asia’s billion-dollar scam industry, activists and regional analysts said.
Despite Prime Minister Hun Manet’s pledge that Cambodia would no longer serve as a haven for human traffickers and illegal cyber syndicates, experts remain highly sceptical. They say the latest operation follows the same pattern as previous raids, which failed to address the root causes.
“Prime Minister Hun Manet’s government responded to diplomatic pressure, not human rights obligations. When the driver is external pressure rather than internal accountability, enforcement risks being symbolic,” said Helen Avadiar‑Nimbalker, director of Asia Freedom Network (AFN).
She emphasised that the 2,000 arrests barely scratch the surface, adding that such minor disruption would not halt a transnational network.
She told Twentytwo13 that previous raids in 2022 and 2024, despite media attention, never led to the prosecution of the elites behind the scam economy.
“It’s mere optics, not reform,” she said.
The latest raids involved nationals from Vietnam, Indonesia, China, South Korea, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Thailand, Laos, India, Nepal, Myanmar and the Philippines. An official breakdown of the numbers is unavailable, and the Cambodian government has yet to issue any formal statement.
Malaysian officials have not confirmed whether any of their nationals are among those detained. However, Avadiar‑Nimbalker said it is highly likely, citing previous cases involving Malaysians trafficked to Cambodia and Myanmar.
Malaysia’s Foreign Ministry said it is monitoring developments in Cambodia closely.
Thousands of victims, including Malaysians rescued from scam centres in Cambodia, Laos and Myanmar, have recounted being held in deplorable conditions, subjected to physical torture and constant abuse while being forced into scams.
A recurring pattern
In October 2024, nearly 1,000 individuals – mostly foreign nationals – were detained in Kampong Speu following media scrutiny.
In 2022, Cambodian police raided dozens of scam operations in Sihanoukville, where forced labour and human trafficking were central features. In both cases, operations resumed soon after.
Phil Robertson, director of Asia Human Rights and Labour Advocates (AHRLA), described the current operation as a “Potemkin village” crackdown – a superficial display meant to impress international observers while avoiding real change.
“It targets the least connected centres,” he said. “The powerful and politically protected ones remain untouched.”
Robertson noted that law enforcement officials often refrain from taking action unless explicitly instructed, wary of infringing on networks backed by elites in the ruling Cambodian People’s Party.
“There’s no political will to genuinely dismantle these trafficking syndicates,” he added.
Both experts pointed to a network of business elites profiting from or sheltering scam compounds.
Among them is Cambodian Senator Ly Yong Phat, whose casino-linked real estate in Sihanoukville and Koh Kong has been named in multiple investigations, including a 2023 United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) report and Amnesty International findings.
There have been no reports of his arrest, despite being sanctioned by the US Treasury in 2024 for his role in human rights abuses linked to forced criminality at scam centres.
US$40 billion industry
UNODC’s April 2025 global report, Inflection Point: Global Implications of Scam Centres, Underground Banking and Illicit Online Marketplaces in Southeast Asia, highlights that scam syndicates in Southeast Asia have become a global threat.
These operations rely heavily on “trafficking in persons for forced criminality”, imprisoning thousands in compounds to carry out cryptocurrency scams, romance fraud and investment scams.
The agency estimates that hundreds of industrial-scale centres in countries like Cambodia house up to 100,000 trafficked workers and generate nearly US$40 billion in annual profits.
To make matters worse, Cambodia lacks a functioning National Referral Mechanism, meaning there is no formal process to distinguish victims from perpetrators.
“There’s no screening, no legal aid, no reintegration support,” said Avadiar‑Nimbalker. “Survivors are being criminalised.”
Robertson echoed these concerns, noting that many detainees are held in Immigration or police custody, extorted for release, or deported with little to no support.
“Those unlucky enough to lack embassy support are stranded – or even returned to predatory networks,” he said.
Calls for accountability
Both experts agreed that unless Cambodia recognises forced scam labour as human trafficking and prosecutes politically connected perpetrators, little will change.
They stressed the critical need for trauma-informed victim services and regional coordination through Asean to support repatriation and long-term survivor protection.
“Cambodia has the laws,” Robertson concluded. “But without the political will, nothing will change.”
Until Cambodia shows it is ready to confront the powerful interests behind its scam economy, experts say the region will continue to witness a familiar cycle: headline-grabbing raids, followed by silence.
