Why Cambodia's scam crackdown is unlikely to target masterminds

The Star

2 days ago

PHNOM PENH: Despite the Cambodian government's largest-ever crackdown on scam operations, there is growing scepticism over whether those at the top will ever face justice, according to researchers.
Channel NewsAsia published an analysis by Ivan Franceschini, a Lecturer in Chinese Studies at the University of Melbourne, and Ling Li, a PhD candidate in Technology Facilitated Modern Slavery at Ca' Foscari University of Venice.
The report highlights that last month, Cambodia launched its largest crackdown to date on the online scam industry, which has taken root in the country and operated in plain sight.
On July 16, Prime Minister Hun Manet issued a directive acknowledging the increasing threat posed by these operations, instructing provincial officials, law enforcement agencies, courts, and the national gambling commission to take action.
As raids began across the country, Telegram channels used by cybercriminals erupted with frantic warnings. Some claimed police were setting up roadblocks, detaining people without passports, and demanding bribes for their release. Videos also surfaced showing mass evacuations from scam compounds.
The government soon hailed the crackdown's success, announcing nearly 140 raids and the arrest of over 3,000 suspects from at least 19 countries, with more than half of those detained being from China and Vietnam.
However, authorities also claimed that very few of these 'suspects' had been held against their will. Yet, research previously published in The Conversation reveals that thousands of individuals have been trafficked or tricked into these compounds and forced into work under conditions that resemble modern-day slavery.
The crackdown has been praised by China and other countries that have faced the fallout from this scam industry, whether through the trafficking of their citizens to Cambodia or the targeting of their own citizens by scammers operating from there.
However, despite the scale of the operation and the government's promise to eliminate scam syndicates in Cambodia, widespread scepticism remains about whether these efforts will truly dismantle the industry.
Previous crackdowns on scam compounds have failed because they fail to address the two key factors that allow the industry to thrive. The first is the powerful local networks that protect scam operators, and the second is the sophisticated physical infrastructure of the compounds themselves.
As long as the elites who provide protection for scam operators remain untouched, and the compounds remain operational, scammers can quickly resume their activities once the pressure subsides.
While crackdowns may temporarily disrupt the operations, the people arrested are typically low-level workers, not the masterminds behind the scams.
Once the crackdown ends, activities resume: scam operators either go underground until the storm passes or relocate to safer locations. Even confiscated equipment is easily replaced, as are the workers.
The crackdown coincided with a brief conflict between Thailand and Cambodia that displaced over 300,000 people.
Analysts have linked this to long-standing border tensions and the rising hostilities following the death of a Cambodian soldier in a skirmish in May.
However, Thailand has attributed the conflict to its own efforts to tackle Cambodian scam operations. Earlier this year, Thailand cut power and internet access to the Poipet City area, a hotspot for scams near the Cambodian border.
In early July, Thailand escalated its actions by targeting a powerful Cambodian senator and tycoon known to own large properties in Poipet, which Thai authorities allege are connected to the online scam trade.
Thai criminal court issued an arrest warrant for the senator and raided his properties in Thailand. Authorities also targeted his children and their Thai assets.
In response, a Cambodian official accused Thailand of long being a 'central hub for transnational crimes' in South-East Asia, and of 'shifting blame' for the issue onto Cambodia.
While Thailand has stepped up efforts to curb the scam industry, it is likely using the issue to bolster domestic support while challenging Cambodian elites who are accused of profiting from the industry. - The Nation/ANN