Michael Dickison
Workers compounds in Svay Rieng’s Bavet city on October 7, 2022. (Michael Dickison/VOD)

Echoes of Sihanoukville Troubles in Cambodian Border Town

As police raids have hit known scam locations and “illegal gambling” dens across the country, residents of casino haven Bavet say they have seen buses ferrying in hundreds of workers over the last few weeks to existing casinos and alleged scam compounds in the border town.

Members of Cambodian youth group Khmer Thavrak protest outside the offices of Prasac and AMK, two of the country’s largest microfinance lenders, in Battambang province on May 9, 2020 (Licadho)

Report Calls on Germany to End Support for Cambodian Microfinance

A large public survey of rural Cambodian households commissioned by the German government to investigate microloans found over-indebtedness, pressure to sell land and aggressive door-to-door marketing, and calls for phasing out public funds from the sector.

A photo of Long Bay casino and hotel posted on Zhengheng Group's Facebook page.

PR Rep Offers Money to Remove Company From UDG Scam Article

A public-relations officer has asked VOD to remove the Zhengheng Group from an article on scam operations and offered money to do so, saying the company is helping authorities crack down on illegal businesses in its Koh Kong compound.

An archived screenshot of the members page on the Federation of Khmer Chinese in Cambodia from October 2018. (Wayback Machine)

Accounts of Trafficking in Cambodia Escalate in Regional Media

Taiwanese prosecutors allege ransom and electric shocks at Cambodian compounds, Malaysian media report a holidayer allegedly kidnapped then sold into scam work, and a Vietnamese newspaper says 10 countries are pressing Cambodia to cooperate on human trafficking.

Timeline: Five Years Since Kem Sokha’s Arrest

Years of political pressure preceded opposition Kem Sokha’s arrest on September 3, 2017, which came amid a year of escalating incidents. Five years since that day, his treason trial drags on with the country’s political opposition cowed by arrests and toothless in the face of a dominant ruling party.

A district guard stands in front of Jin Gang compound, where an operation involving Vietnamese nationals unfolded, in Sihanoukville's Buon commune on April 29, 2022. (Mech Dara/VOD)

Scam Trafficking, Rescues on the Rise: Regional Media

Eighty-nine Thais were removed from Cambodian scam compounds, Malaysia said it was working on the rescues of 60 nationals, and Vietnamese workers were brutally beaten in Cambodia, according to recent news reports from around the region.

White-Hat Hacker Infiltrates Cambodian Scam Operations

A notorious Vietnamese ex-hacker infiltrated Cambodian scam operations’ computers after entrapped workers reached out for help. He collected thousands of internal chat messages and documented the workings of their fake online investment schemes.