Latest news with #AgnesCallamard
Telegraph
2 days ago
- Telegraph
Cambodia ‘deliberately ignoring' abuses in brutal scam centres
Cambodian officials are 'deliberately ignoring' abuses committed by crime syndicates trafficking thousands of people, including children, into brutal cyber scam compounds, according to Amnesty International. In a 240-page report published on Thursday, the human rights group claimed the government is aware of the 'hellish' conditions inside the thriving scam centres, but has chosen to turn a blind eye to widespread torture, human trafficking and modern slavery. In some instances, there has even been 'coordination and possibly collusion between Chinese compound bosses and the Cambodian police'. 'Survivors of these scamming compounds describe being trapped in a living nightmare – enlisted in criminal enterprises that are operating with the apparent consent of the Cambodian government,' said Agnes Callamard, Amnesty International's secretary general. Montse Ferrer, the organisation's regional research director, added: 'The Cambodian authorities know what is going on inside scamming compounds, yet they allow it to continue. Our findings reveal a pattern of state failures that have allowed criminality to flourish and raises questions about the government's motivations.' Cambodia has denied the claims. In the last five years scam centres have proliferated across southeast Asia, after Chinese-led criminal gangs converted casinos and hotels into online fraud factories during the pandemic. This shadow economy has become extremely lucrative. According to 'conservative' estimates from the US Institute of Peace (USIP), at least $43.8 billion (£33.8bn) is being stolen each year by scammers based in Cambodia, Myanmar and Laos alone – a figure roughly equal to 40 per cent of their combined GDP. But many of those running these online fraud, entrapment and blackmail schemes are themselves victims, lured with false promises of highly-paid work in deceptive job adverts on social media. In Cambodia alone, as many as 100,000 people have been trafficked into scam compounds, according to the United Nations. The Amnesty report – which identified 53 scam centres and dozens more suspected sites, including in the capital Phnom Penh – is based on testimony from 58 people, including nine children, who were stuck in these centres. Their experiences are in keeping with other reports detailing the 'climate of fear' in these fraud factories. With high fences with razor wire, surveillance cameras and armed men standing guard, these compounds are designed to trap them inside, while complaining or failing to hit targets could result in beatings, electric shocks, and being shut in dark rooms. Survivors also told Amnesty that people were sold between the compounds, and that deaths were not uncommon. The human-rights group said the Cambodian government is all too aware of these abuses. Not only have they been well-documented by media and activists, but the police have overseen raids that freed some trafficked workers – while leaving many more inside. Amnesty found that just two scam compounds had been shut down. More than two-thirds of the sites identified were either not investigated by police, or had continued to operate even after police interventions. 'Unlike Myanmar, another hotspot for scamming compounds where territory is disputed across different armed factions… Cambodia has absolute sovereignty and control over its territory, and so it's allowing it to happen,' said Ms Ferrer. She added that Amnesty's investigation revealed 'systemic instances of corruption and collusion'. 'There are cases where individuals talk about payment of bribes, but in the majority of cases it isn't that,' Ms Ferrer said. '[They know] police are involved – either because an individual calls the police to try and get a rescue and they're tortured the next day… or because it is visible to them that compound managers and police are seemingly discussing the release of an individual or two. This is not exceptional… This is systemic. We are convinced the police are aware of what's happening.' Amnesty said the Cambodian government did not respond when it shared the locations and coordinates of the scam centres it identified, while the National Committee to Combat Human Trafficking shared only 'vague data' on known abuses and their response. Government spokesman Pen Bona told AFP: 'Cambodia is a victimised country used by criminals to commit online scams. We do recognise that there is such thing, but Cambodia has taken serious measures against the problem.' In contrast, many of those who escaped the scam compounds have been detained in immigration detention centres for months at a time, while authorities have targeted human rights defenders and journalists investigating abuses.
Free Malaysia Today
2 days ago
- Politics
- Free Malaysia Today
Amnesty accuses Cambodia of enabling brutal scam industry
Cambodia has overseen raids that have freed some trafficked scam centre workers. (EPA Images pic) BANGKOK : Human rights group Amnesty International accused Cambodia's government today of 'deliberately ignoring' abuses by cybercrime gangs who have trafficked people from across the world, including children, into slavery at brutal scam compounds. The London-based group said in a report that it had identified 53 scam centres and dozens more suspected sites across the country, including the Southeast Asian nation's capital, Phnom Penh. The prison-like compounds were ringed by high fences with razor wire, guarded by armed men and staffed by trafficking victims forced to defraud people across the globe, it said, with those inside subjected to punishments including shocks from electric batons, confinement in dark rooms, and beatings. Amnesty said its findings revealed a 'pattern of state failures' that allowed the billion-dollar industry to flourish, including failures to investigate human rights abuses, identify and assist victims, and regulate security companies and tools of torture. 'Deceived, trafficked and enslaved, the survivors of these scamming compounds describe being trapped in a living nightmare – enlisted in criminal enterprises that are operating with the apparent consent of the Cambodian government,' said Amnesty International's secretary-general Agnes Callamard. Amnesty said the Cambodian government did not respond to its list of scamming compounds or suspicious locations, and that the national committee to combat human trafficking shared 'vague data on interventions at compounds, none of which clarified whether the state has identified, investigated or prosecuted individuals for human rights abuses other than deprivation of liberty'. The Cambodian government did not immediately respond to a Reuters' request for comment about the report. Phnom Penh has said previously that it is tackling scam gangs and in January set up a taskforce headed by Prime Minister Hun Manet. While Cambodia has overseen raids that have freed some trafficked workers, Amnesty said it found more than two-thirds of scam compounds were either not investigated by police or had continued to operate even after police interventions. Two compounds did appear to have been shut down, the group said. During rescue efforts, police did not enter compounds but met representatives who handed over only the victim who had called for help, the group said, while some survivors were beaten by their bosses after trying to contact the police. Children trafficked Cambodia emerged during the pandemic as a hub for the global scam industry as mostly Chinese-led criminal groups repurposed unused casinos and hotels as scam centres housing as many as 100,000 people, according to the United Nations. Similar enclaves have flourished in Myanmar and Laos. The industry in Cambodia now generates more than US$12.5 billion annually – half of the country's GDP, according to the US Institute for Peace. Thailand and Cambodia have traded barbs over the scam issue in recent days as border tensions have heated up, with the Thai prime minister calling for a crackdown in Cambodia and another government official calling the country a hub for cybercrime. The criminal gangs entice trafficking victims with fake job offers posted on social media and then force them to financially exploit people online including through fake romances or 'pig-butchering' schemes in which the scammer builds trust with a victim before stealing their money, Amnesty said. Nine out of 58 survivors interviewed by Amnesty were children, the group said, including a 16-year-old boy from China who was kicked and barred from leaving. Amnesty said it had confirmed the death of a Chinese child in one compound. An 18-year-old Thai survivor told Reuters he was trafficked to a compound in Phnom Penh in 2023 and then, when he tried to leave, sold to another compound close to the Vietnamese border. The man, who asked not to be named, was forced to use deepfake video software to pose as an older attractive man to lure Thai women into handing over their money. After almost a year, he threw himself out of a window, injuring himself, and escaped after hiding in a hospital.
AsiaOne
2 days ago
- Politics
- AsiaOne
Amnesty says Cambodia is enabling brutal scam industry, Asia News
BANGKOK — Human rights group Amnesty International accused Cambodia's government on Thursday (June 26) of "deliberately ignoring" abuses by cybercrime gangs who have trafficked people from across the world, including children, into slavery at brutal scam compounds. The London-based group said in a report that it had identified 53 scam centres and dozens more suspected sites across the country, including the Southeast Asian nation's capital, Phnom Penh. The prison-like compounds were ringed by high fences with razor wire, guarded by armed men and staffed by trafficking victims forced to defraud people across the globe, it said, with those inside subjected to punishments including shocks from electric batons, confinement in dark rooms, and beatings. Amnesty said its findings revealed a "pattern of state failures" that allowed the billion-dollar industry to flourish, including failures to investigate human rights abuses, identify and assist victims, and regulate security companies and tools of torture. "Deceived, trafficked and enslaved, the survivors of these scamming compounds describe being trapped in a living nightmare — enlisted in criminal enterprises that are operating with the apparent consent of the Cambodian government," said Amnesty International's Secretary General Agnes Callamard. Amnesty said the Cambodian government did not respond to its list of scamming compounds or suspicious locations, and that the National Committee to Combat Human Trafficking shared "vague data on interventions at compounds, none of which clarified whether the state has identified, investigated or prosecuted individuals for human rights abuses other than deprivation of liberty." The Cambodian government did not immediately respond to a Reuters' request for comment about the report. Phnom Penh has said previously that it is tackling scam gangs and in January set up a taskforce headed by Prime Minister Hun Manet. While Cambodia has overseen raids that have freed some trafficked workers, Amnesty said it found more than two-thirds of scam compounds were either not investigated by police or had continued to operate even after police interventions. Two compounds did appear to have been shut down, the group said. During rescue efforts, police did not enter compounds but met representatives who handed over only the victim who had called for help, the group said, while some survivors were beaten by their bosses after trying to contact the police. Children trafficked Cambodia emerged during the pandemic as a hub for the global scam industry as mostly Chinese-led criminal groups repurposed unused casinos and hotels as scam centres housing as many as 100,000 people, according to the United Nations. Similar enclaves have flourished in Myanmar and Laos. The industry in Cambodia now generates more than US$12.5 billion (S$15.9 billion) annually — half of the country's GDP, according to the United States Institute for Peace. Thailand and Cambodia have traded barbs over the scam issue in recent days as border tensions have heated up, with the Thai prime minister calling for a crackdown in Cambodia and another government official calling the country a hub for cybercrime. The criminal gangs entice trafficking victims with fake job offers posted on social media and then force them to financially exploit people online including through fake romances or "pig-butchering" schemes in which the scammer builds trust with a victim before stealing their money, Amnesty said. Nine out of 58 survivors interviewed by Amnesty were children, the group said, including a 16-year-old boy from China who was kicked and barred from leaving. Amnesty said it had confirmed the death of a Chinese child in one compound. An 18-year-old Thai survivor told Reuters he was trafficked to a compound in Phnom Penh in 2023 and then, when he tried to leave, sold to another compound close to the Vietnamese border. The man, who asked not to be named, was forced to use deepfake video software to pose as an older attractive man to lure Thai women into handing over their money. After almost a year, he threw himself out of a window, injuring himself, and escaped after hiding in a hospital. [[nid:719444]]
South China Morning Post
2 days ago
- Politics
- South China Morning Post
Amnesty says Cambodia's US$12.5 billion scam industry thriving with government blessing
Human rights group Amnesty International accused Cambodia 's government on Thursday of 'deliberately ignoring' abuses by cybercrime gangs who have trafficked people from across the world, including children, into slavery at brutal scam compounds. The London-based group said in a report that it had identified 53 scam centres and dozens more suspected sites across the country, including the Southeast Asian nation's capital, Phnom Penh. The prison-like compounds were ringed by high fences with razor wire, guarded by armed men and staffed by trafficking victims forced to defraud people across the globe, it said, with those inside subjected to punishments including shocks from electric batons, confinement in dark rooms and beatings. Amnesty said its findings revealed a 'pattern of state failures' that allowed the billion-dollar industry to flourish, including failures to investigate human rights abuses, identify and assist victims, and regulate security companies and tools of torture. 'Deceived, trafficked and enslaved, the survivors of these scamming compounds describe being trapped in a living nightmare – enlisted in criminal enterprises that are operating with the apparent consent of the Cambodian government,' said Amnesty International's Secretary General Agnes Callamard. Amnesty said the Cambodian government did not respond to its list of scamming compounds or suspicious locations, and that the National Committee to Combat Human Trafficking shared 'vague data on interventions at compounds, none of which clarified whether the state has identified, investigated or prosecuted individuals for human rights abuses other than deprivation of liberty'. The Cambodian government did not immediately respond to a request for comment about the report. Phnom Penh has said previously that it is tackling scam gangs and in January set up a task force headed by Prime Minister Hun Manet.
Malay Mail
2 days ago
- Politics
- Malay Mail
Amnesty: Cambodia turning blind eye as brutal scam compounds traffic victims, children
BANGKOK, June 26 — Human rights group Amnesty International accused Cambodia's government on Thursday of 'deliberately ignoring' abuses by cybercrime gangs who have trafficked people from across the world, including children, into slavery at brutal scam compounds. The London-based group said in a report that it had identified 53 scam centres and dozens more suspected sites across the country, including the South-east Asian nation's capital, Phnom Penh. The prison-like compounds were ringed by high fences with razor wire, guarded by armed men and staffed by trafficking victims forced to defraud people across the globe, it said, with those inside subjected to punishments including shocks from electric batons, confinement in dark rooms, and beatings. Amnesty said its findings revealed a 'pattern of state failures' that allowed the billion-dollar industry to flourish, including failures to investigate human rights abuses, identify and assist victims, and regulate security companies and tools of torture. 'Deceived, trafficked and enslaved, the survivors of these scamming compounds describe being trapped in a living nightmare – enlisted in criminal enterprises that are operating with the apparent consent of the Cambodian government,' said Amnesty International's Secretary General Agnes Callamard. Amnesty said the Cambodian government did not respond to its list of scamming compounds or suspicious locations, and that the National Committee to Combat Human Trafficking shared 'vague data on interventions at compounds, none of which clarified whether the state has identified, investigated or prosecuted individuals for human rights abuses other than deprivation of liberty.' The Cambodian government did not immediately respond to a Reuters' request for comment about the report. Phnom Penh has said previously that it is tackling scam gangs and in January set up a taskforce headed by Prime Minister Hun Manet. While Cambodia has overseen raids that have freed some trafficked workers, Amnesty said it found more than two-thirds of scam compounds were either not investigated by police or had continued to operate even after police interventions. Two compounds did appear to have been shut down, the group said. During rescue efforts, police did not enter compounds but met representatives who handed over only the victim who had called for help, the group said, while some survivors were beaten by their bosses after trying to contact the police. Children trafficked Cambodia emerged during the pandemic as a hub for the global scam industry as mostly Chinese-led criminal groups repurposed unused casinos and hotels as scam centres housing as many as 100,000 people, according to the United Nations. Similar enclaves have flourished in Myanmar and Laos. The industry in Cambodia now generates more than US$12.5 billion (RM53 billion) annually – half of the country's GDP, according to the United States Institute for Peace. Thailand and Cambodia have traded barbs over the scam issue in recent days as border tensions have heated up, with the Thai prime minister calling for a crackdown in Cambodia and another government official calling the country a hub for cybercrime. The criminal gangs entice trafficking victims with fake job offers posted on social media and then force them to financially exploit people online including through fake romances or 'pig-butchering' schemes in which the scammer builds trust with a victim before stealing their money, Amnesty said. Nine out of 58 survivors interviewed by Amnesty were children, the group said, including a 16-year-old boy from China who was kicked and barred from leaving. Amnesty said it had confirmed the death of a Chinese child in one compound. An 18-year-old Thai survivor told Reuters he was trafficked to a compound in Phnom Penh in 2023 and then, when he tried to leave, sold to another compound close to the Vietnamese border. The man, who asked not to be named, was forced to use deepfake video software to pose as an older attractive man to lure Thai women into handing over their money. After almost a year, he threw himself out of a window, injuring himself, and escaped after hiding in a hospital. — Reuters
