Thai fighter jets carried out airstrikes on O’Smach town in Oddar Meanchey province on December 8, 2025, hitting areas long linked to online scam operations, according to local workers and witnesses.
The airstrikes targeted parts of O’Smach where multiple buildings associated with online scam operations are concentrated, triggering panic and forcing Cambodian workers to flee. However, thousands of foreign workers were reportedly prevented from leaving the compounds during the initial attacks.
Thailand has framed the border conflict with Cambodia as a fight against online scam operations, accusing buildings in O’Smach of being secret military facilities used to store weapons and drones — allegations that Cambodian authorities have rejected.
Several Cambodian workers told VOD that bombs fell inside or near scam compounds, prompting staff to rush out of the buildings. Foreign workers — including Chinese, Nepalese, Indian, Indonesian and other nationalities — were not immediately allowed to escape. Workers estimated that at least 2,000 foreign nationals were inside the compounds at the time.
One worker, whom VOD is calling “Sopheap” for safety reasons, said she witnessed one Cambodian security guard killed and two others injured during the airstrikes on December 8.
Sopheap worked as a food courier inside a building commonly known as the “Chinese Building” or “Nine-Storey Building,” which workers say is used for online scam operations.
“They were not allowed to leave the building,” she said, referring to foreign workers.
She described the site as a place where serious human rights abuses occur, including unlawful detention and torture.
Workers interviewed by VOD described widespread abuse inside the compounds, including beatings with electric batons, prolonged punishment under the sun, forced physical labor, and sexual exploitation of foreign women, particularly Chinese nationals.
Human rights organizations have previously documented similar abuses linked to online scam operations across Cambodia.
In a report published in August 2023, the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) said foreign workers in Cambodia “face a range of serious violations and abuses, including threats to their safety and security,” and that many have been subjected to torture, cruel or degrading treatment, arbitrary detention, sexual violence and forced labor.
“People who are coerced into working in these scamming operations endure inhumane treatment while being forced to carry out crimes. They are victims. They are not criminals,” UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk said in the statement.
OHCHR has estimated that at least 100,000 foreign nationals have been forced to work in online scam operations in Cambodia.
Scam compounds in O’Smach are widely reported to be linked to Senator Ly Yong Phat, an adviser to Prime Minister Hun Manet and a powerful tycoon who has been sanctioned by the United States over alleged involvement in online scam operations.
Other buildings damaged in the airstrikes, including Royal Hill Resort and Casino, reportedly belong to Lim Heng, another tycoon and adviser to Prime Minister Hun Manet.
Ly Yong Phat and Lim Heng could not be reached for comment.
Before the conflict, O’Smach had been rapidly expanding, with multiple new buildings under construction to support scam operations.
Following intensified airstrikes, workers said Chinese criminal groups continued to restrict foreign nationals from leaving. By December 10, the workers were allowed to depart but were closely monitored.
Taxi drivers who transported the workers told VOD they were moved to other locations, including Phnom Penh, areas along the Cambodia–Vietnam border such as Bavet, Chrey Thom and Trapeang Phlong, and Mondulkiri province.
Thai authorities say intelligence gathered after border clashes in July 2025 indicated that scam buildings in O’Smach were being used for military purposes.
Cambodian authorities have denied the allegations.
Under a new peace deal that took effect at noon on December 27, Cambodia and Thailand said they “reaffirmed the commitment to enhance cooperation” aimed at preventing online scams. The Cambodian government said at least four casinos along the border were hit by Thai airstrikes but has not released information on the extent of the damage or reported casualties.
