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27 Chinese nationals among 1,000 arrested in Cambodia scam raids
A recent report by Amnesty International into cybercrime in Cambodia highlights state complicity in abuses by Chinese criminal gangs
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Cambodia on Wednesday said that an order by Prime Minister Hun Manet for government bodies to crackdown on criminal cybercrime operations being run in the country had resulted in the arrest of more than 1,000 suspects so far this week.
Hun Manet issued the order authorising state action for “maintaining and protecting security, public order, and social safety”.
“The government has observed that online scams are currently causing threats and insecurity in the world and the region. In Cambodia, foreign criminal groups have also infiltrated to engage in online scams,” Hun Manet’s statement, dated on Tuesday, said.
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The United Nations and other agencies estimate that cyberscams, most of them originating from Southeast Asia, earn international criminal gangs billions of dollars annually.
More than 1,000 suspects were arrested in raids in at least five provinces between Monday and Wednesday, according to statements from Information Minister Neth Pheaktra and police.
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Those detained included more than 200 Vietnamese, 27 Chinese, and 85 Cambodians in the capital Phnom Penh and the southern city of Sihanoukville. Police also seized equipment, including computers and hundreds of mobile phones.
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