Interior Ministry Officials Deflect on Compound Owners, Online Scams in Marathon Briefing

3 min read
Senior Ministry of Interior officials seated together at a press conference touting the ministry’s achievements. (Hean Rangsey/VOD)
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A 5.5-hour Interior Ministry press conference reviewed recent raids against the forced labor of foreign nationals, but officials continued to sidestep from naming compound owners and saying whether the syndicates perpetrated global scams.

In the latest of a series of briefings by government ministries about their past five years of work, Interior Ministry officials hosted a crowd of journalists at the Council of Ministers building in Phnom Penh on Friday.

Kicking off at 9:30 a.m., the presser lasted through 3 p.m. without breaks. Six spokespeople took turns behind a lectern, giving long speeches about their departments’ work before taking questions. The spokespeople were Interior Ministry spokesman Khieu Sopheak; National Police spokesman Chhay Kimkhoeun; immigration department spokesman Keo Vanthan; prisons department spokesman Nuth Savna; identification department spokesman Say Meng Chheang; and government spokesman Phay Siphan. Some could be seen nipping out for snack and cigarette breaks while awaiting their turns during the course of the day.

VOD reporters asked them about the recent human trafficking raids, in particular what types of businesses were found to be operating in the compounds, who the compound owners were, and why restrictions have grown on observing and reporting on the police work.

Kimkhoeun, the National Police spokesman, said Cambodian authorities were dealing with global challenges, explaining that it could be difficult to deal with crimes involving “technology.”

“Lately in particular, Cambodia, especially in the region, there is widespread cross-border organized crime that uses technology, and we acknowledge that we do not have the capabilities that reach [the level of] other advanced countries — our capability still walks behind technological development,” he said.

National Police spokesperson Chhay Kimkhoeun speaks to the media at a Interior Ministry press conference in Phnom Penh. (Hean Rangsey/VOD)

But he said Cambodian police work was fast, and had thwarted the vast majority of crimes.

“So some crimes continue to take place, more or less, especially crimes that we have suffered directly — all-kinds of cross-border crimes like drug trafficking, human trafficking and weapons trafficking and technology crimes,” he said.

Kimkhoeun acknowledged that some foreign workers had been cheated online to come to Cambodia, but said the work here was “illegal gambling,” and also noted there had been false reports of blood and organ trafficking.

He added that it was within the rights of judicial police to stop people from taking photos of their operations. “It is not allowed to take pictures whatever way you want — it is up to the one who leads the operation.”

Siphan, the government spokesman, lashed out at a VOD reporter when it was suggested that a better means could be found to disseminate information.

“You are lazy, and secondly you do not stick to professional conduct,” he said, especially pointing to this reporter wearing sandals to the press conference.

“Do not come into a public place and point the finger at the spokesperson of this ministry or that ministry like this or that. It is better than in the U.S.: In the U.S. you have no right to ask questions of the secretary of state. … In here, you can come freely, even with those clothes. You don’t wear a suit with us, with necktie and other proper [attire]. … You come without wearing shoes — think about it,” Siphan said.

He told the reporter not to follow in the footsteps of “rude foreigners” who wear jeans and backpacks, saying that in the U.S. CNN journalists wear neckties and jackets.

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