Latest news with #AgenceKampucheaPress
The Star
3 days ago
- The Star
Cambodia's intense raids expose foreign women's involvement in scam centres
In this photo provided by state news service Agence Kampuchea Press, alleged online scammers arrested by authorities sit in a classroom on the outskirts of Phnom Penh, Cambodia, Friday, July 18, 2025. - AKP via AP PHNOM PENH (Bernama): About 20 per cent of suspects arrested in Cambodia this week for alleged online scam crimes are women from developing countries. The state media outlet Agence Kampuchea Presse reported that 2,270 suspects were detained across Cambodia, mostly from Southeast Asian and South Asian countries. Among those arrested, more than 400 women came from Bangladesh, China, Indonesia, Pakistan, and Vietnam. "Many women go abroad to take up risky jobs because of poverty. They go overseas just to try their luck and sometimes end up in dangerous jobs. "There are fewer employment opportunities in Bangladesh, especially for women. And there are no strict rules and regulations to protect women,' Organisation for Women Development in Bangladesh Chief Executive Shyamoli Mazumder told Bernama from Dhaka. In the latest crime-busting operation, 27 Bangladeshi women were detained. The Secretariat of the Commission for Combatting Technology Fraud released this data on July 18, following a nationwide operation by security personnel to eliminate cyber crimes. Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet instructed law enforcement authorities to dismantle online scam operations, resulting in a coordinated crackdown on these criminal activities. Since the prime minister's announcement, authorities have carried out major operations in 12 capitals across the kingdom, exposing major online scam centres which led to the arrest of thousands of workers. Most of the online scam operations are run by foreign syndicates and are linked to human trafficking. Regional governments from Cambodia, Laos, and Myanmar are cleaning up notorious cybercrime hubs that have been luring young job seekers, who are promised attractive salaries and perks but end up in online crimes. According to Myanmar's Information Ministry, about 9,000 foreign nationals engaged in online gambling and internet scams were arrested between January and May this year. The Interpol in its June report highlighted the risks of human trafficking for forced online fraud centres, where victims are drawn into fake schemes through false job advertisements and detained in compounds where they are forced to carry out online scams. Initially, online scam centres were concentrated in South-East Asia and most human trafficking victims were Chinese-speaking and sourced from Asia. The past three years have witnessed victims trafficked into Southeast Asia from faraway regions. "This geographical expansion has been facilitated both by transnational organised crime groups linked to Asia and through similar methods employed by local or regional groups,' said Interpol. - Bernama
Asahi Shimbun
3 days ago
- Asahi Shimbun
Cambodia continues raids on scam centers, bringing arrests in past 3 weeks over 2,100
In this photo provided by state news service Agence Kampuchea Press, alleged online scammers stand next to their tools collected by authorities at its site in a classroom on the outskirts of Phnom Penh, Cambodia, Friday, July 18, 2025. (AKP via AP) PHNOM PENH—Authorities in Cambodia continued their stepped-up campaign against online scam centers, arresting at least 500 suspects in two provinces on Thursday and Friday, the country's information minister said. The arrests in Kandal province on the outskirts of the capital Phnom Penh, and in the northeastern province of Stung Treng, brought to 2,137 the total number detained since June 27, Information Minister Neth Pheaktra said in a statement. Those netted in raids in 43 locations around the country included 429 Vietnamese, 271 Indonesians, 589 Chinese, 57 Koreans, 70 Bangladeshi and 42 Pakistanis, said his statement. Other suspects were from Thailand, Laos, India, Nepal, the Philippines and Myanmar. The United Nations and other agencies have estimated that cyberscams, most of them originating from Southeast Asia, earn international criminal gangs billions of dollars annually. The cybercriminals pretend friendship or tout phony investment opportunities to cheat their targets around the world. Neth Pheaktra's statement said Cambodia's crackdown is ongoing 'and will absolutely continue, with a clear mandate from the top leadership to root out all illegal cybercrime activity — regardless of location or affiliation.' He said it was strengthened by a directive issued Monday by Prime Minister Hun Manet that threatened state personnel at all levels with transfers or dismissal if they failed to act vigorously against cyberscams. The latest arrests followed 2,418 others in the first six months of the year involving 18 alleged scam operations in different parts of the country, said a report from the National Police Commissioner cited by Neth Pheaktra. These resulted in 73 prosecutions and 2,322 foreigners being deported, it said. Workers at scam centers are often recruited under false pretenses and then held captive to work under tight guard. 'Jobseekers from Asia and beyond are lured by the promise of well-paid work into hellish labour camps run by well-organized gangs, where they are forced to scam under the very real threat of violence,' the human rights groups Amnesty International said in a report issued last month. It said the findings of its 18-month investigation into cyberscams 'suggest there has been coordination and possibly collusion between Chinese compound bosses and the Cambodian police, who have failed to shut down compounds despite the slew of human rights abuses taking place inside.' The kingpins of many online scam operations tend to be ethnic Chinese organized crime bosses, who generally operate outside China in areas with weak law enforcement. A spokesperson for the Cambodian human rights organization Licadho, which is often critical of the government, noted the country's poor reputation due to cybercrime, and welcomed the crackdown. 'This campaign should have been launched long ago because Cambodia has been criticized by international organizations, the international community, and the United Nations for online fraud in Cambodia, which has affected Cambodia's image, international tourists, investment, security, order, and social security,' Licadko's operations director Am Sam Ath, told The Associated Press. 'However, launching this campaign is good to demonstrate the Royal Government's determination and willingness to prevent and suppress online fraud and trust,' he said, noting that other members of the regional Association of Southeast Asian Nations had also acted this year to suppress online crime.
Japan Today
3 days ago
- Japan Today
Cambodia continues raids on scam centers, bringing arrests in past 3 weeks over 2,100
In this photo provided by state news service Agence Kampuchea Press, alleged online scammers stand next to their tools collected by authorities at its site in a classroom on the outskirts of Phnom Penh, Cambodia, Friday, July 18, 2025. (AKP via AP) By SOPHENG CHEANG Authorities in Cambodia continued their stepped-up campaign against online scam centers, arresting at least 500 suspects in two provinces on Thursday and Friday, the country's information minister said. The arrests in Kandal province on the outskirts of the capital Phnom Penh, and in the northeastern province of Stung Treng, brought to 2,137 the total number detained since June 27, Information Minister Neth Pheaktra said in a statement. Those netted in raids in 43 locations around the country included 429 Vietnamese, 271 Indonesians, 589 Chinese, 57 Koreans, 70 Bangladeshi and 42 Pakistanis, said his statement. Other suspects were from Thailand, Laos, India, Nepal, the Philippines and Myanmar. The United Nations and other agencies have estimated that cyberscams, most of them originating from Southeast Asia, earn international criminal gangs billions of dollars annually. The cybercriminals pretend friendship or tout phony investment opportunities to cheat their targets around the world. Neth Pheaktra's statement said Cambodia's crackdown is ongoing 'and will absolutely continue, with a clear mandate from the top leadership to root out all illegal cybercrime activity — regardless of location or affiliation.' He said it was strengthened by a directive issued Monday by Prime Minister Hun Manet that threatened state personnel at all levels with transfers or dismissal if they failed to act vigorously against cyberscams. The latest arrests followed 2,418 others in the first six months of the year involving 18 alleged scam operations in different parts of the country, said a report from the National Police Commissioner cited by Neth Pheaktra. These resulted in 73 prosecutions and 2,322 foreigners being deported, it said. Workers at scam centers are often recruited under false pretenses and then held captive to work under tight guard. 'Jobseekers from Asia and beyond are lured by the promise of well-paid work into hellish labour camps run by well-organized gangs, where they are forced to scam under the very real threat of violence,' the human rights groups Amnesty International said in a report issued last month. It said the findings of its 18-month investigation into cyberscams 'suggest there has been coordination and possibly collusion between Chinese compound bosses and the Cambodian police, who have failed to shut down compounds despite the slew of human rights abuses taking place inside.' The kingpins of many online scam operations tend to be ethnic Chinese organized crime bosses, who generally operate outside China in areas with weak law enforcement. A spokesperson for the Cambodian human rights organization Licadho, which is often critical of the government, noted the country's poor reputation due to cybercrime, and welcomed the crackdown. 'This campaign should have been launched long ago because Cambodia has been criticized by international organizations, the international community, and the United Nations for online fraud in Cambodia, which has affected Cambodia's image, international tourists, investment, security, order, and social security,' Licadko's operations director Am Sam Ath, told The Associated Press. 'However, launching this campaign is good to demonstrate the Royal Government's determination and willingness to prevent and suppress online fraud and trust,' he said, noting that other members of the regional Association of Southeast Asian Nations had also acted this year to suppress online crime. © Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
The Star
14-07-2025
- Politics
- The Star
Cambodia to implement military conscription in 2026
FILE PHOTO: Cambodian soldiers gather during a visit of Cambodia's Prime Minister Hun Manet at a military base, following a clash at the Thailand-Cambodia border on May 28, 2025, in Preah Vihear province, Cambodia, June 23, 2025. - Agence Kampuchea Press/Handout via Reuters PHNOM PENH: Cambodia's military will begin conscripting civilians next year, Prime Minister Hun Manet said Monday (July 14), citing rising tensions with Thailand as the reason for activating a long-dormant mandatory enlistment law. Cambodia's parliament in 2006 approved a law that would require all Cambodians aged 18 to 30 to serve in the military for 18 months, although it has never been enforced. Relations with neighbouring Thailand have been tense since May, when a long-standing territorial dispute boiled over into cross-border clashes, killing one Cambodian soldier. "This episode of confrontation is a lesson for us and is an opportunity for us to review, assess and set our targets to reform our military," Hun Manet said. "From 2026, the military conscription law will be implemented," he told a ceremony at the Royal Gendarmerie Training Centre in central Kampong Chhnang province. Hun Manet said the service period would be extended from the 18 months outlined in the legislation passed two decades ago to 24 months, and pledged to "look at increasing" Cambodia's defence budget. "Our national defence, the building of our military, is not to invade anybody's territory but it is to protect our territory," he added. The Cambodian soldier was killed by Thai troops in a firefight in a disputed area known as the Emerald Triangle, where the borders of both countries and Laos meet. The incident soured relations between Phnom Penh and Bangkok - causing the closure of border crossings as Cambodia banned fuel and gas imports from Thailand. It also caused a domestic political crisis in Thailand, where Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra has been suspended from office pending an ethics probe over her conduct during the row. A diplomatic call between Paeotongtarn and Hun Manet's father, former leader Hun Sen, was leaked from the Cambodian side, sparking a judicial investigation. Neighbouring Thailand already has military conscription for young and able-bodied men, who enter a lottery to determine whether they have to serve. - AFP
Bangkok Post
07-07-2025
- Politics
- Bangkok Post
Cambodia ready to pay cost of returning artefacts from Thailand
Cambodia is willing to cover the cost of returning 20 antiquities from Thailand, Cambodian Culture and Fine Arts Minister Phoeurng Sackona has said. The Cambodian minister said in a letter to her new Thai counterpart, Culture Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra, that Cambodia would finance the transport of the artefacts. There was no need to wait for Thailand to do it, the Khmer Times reported on Monday, citing information from Agence Kampuchea Press. Ms Paetongtarn, who was suspended from the premiership last week, on Friday put the brakes on the return of the items, citing budget constraints. It was her first decision on taking over at the Culture Ministry, amid continued strained ties between the two neighbours. "Given the current situation between Thailand and Cambodia, the Culture Ministry recommends a further review," she said. The Cambodian minister wants Thailand to abide by the agreement made by the two countries last year to hand over the artefacts to Cambodia. The two countries had planned a handing over ceremony for the 20 artefacts this month, with the transporting process to start in August. That is now on indefinite hold.
