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Cambodia

The latest news, analysis and opinion on Cambodia. In-depth analysis, industry insights and expert opinion.

Capital

Phnom Penh

Head of State

King Norodom Sihamoni

Head of Government

Prime Minister Hun Manet

Garment workers tailor clothes in a factory in Tongi, on the outskirts of Dhaka. Photo: AFP

Bangladesh

Bangladesh faces daunting post-election challenges in economy, garment sector

A key concern for Dhaka is the upgrade to developing nation status, with the key garment sector set to face stiffer competition.

1 hour ago

Scams and swindles

Water prisons, torture: UN urges crackdown on brutal Southeast Asia scam centres

2 hours agovideocam

Indonesia

Indonesia seals ‘great’ US trade deal, agrees to send 8,000 troops to Gaza

20 Feb 2026 - 10:35AMvideocam

Thailand

Wall and words: Thailand and Cambodia fight for the world’s ear over border row

While Cambodia takes its border grievances to Trump’s Board of Peace, Thailand rejects its ‘false’ claims and threatens a border wall.

19 Feb 2026 - 4:16PMvideocam

Thailand’s national flag flutters on a hillside in northeastern Sisaket province, as viewed from Cambodia’s Preah Vihear province on February 12. Photo: Reuters

China-Asean relations

Chinese missions in Vietnam, Singapore warn citizens to stay away from gambling

Consulate and embassy issue statements after two separate incidents in which Chinese men fell to their deaths, allegedly after gambling.

18 Feb 2026 - 3:21PMvideocam

Thailand

Battered Cambodia seeks economic reset after Thailand border war

Shuttered borders have choked trade and sent migrant workers home, forcing Phnom Penh to seek new partners and markets.

17 Feb 2026 - 3:23PMvideocam

Hong Kong society

Curry fishball toys a hit as Hong Kong nostalgia shines at Lunar New Year fair

Vendors say locally designed Hong Kong-themed merchandise drew in customers at Victoria Park’s Lunar New Year fair.

16 Feb 2026 - 10:45PM

Plush toys resembling Hong Kong street snacks were a hit at the Lunar New Year fair at Victoria Park, Causeway Bay. Photo: Edmond So

Scams and swindles

Opinion | Cambodia’s scam factory survivors find no escape in freedom

A government crackdown freed thousands, but with no passports or support, survivors have simply traded captivity for destitution.

15 Feb 2026 - 12:00PM

United Nations

Opinion | More than funding, the UN needs restructuring

The UN’s financial strain is a chance to rethink its structure, cut inefficiencies and empower local work that delivers more impact.

15 Feb 2026 - 5:30AM

Asean

Asian Angle | How Asean can resolve its Myanmar dilemma post-election

Asean should not discard the Five-Point Consensus, but translate it into a politically astute strategy of conditional engagement.

14 Feb 2026 - 12:30PMvideocam

Vote counting takes place on January 25 in Yangon for Myanmar’s general election. Photo: Kyodo

Thailand

Thai PM agrees to form coalition with Thaksin-backed Pheu Thai

The 2 parties were previously coalition partners, until PM Anutin pulled out over a Cambodia border dispute scandal last June.

13 Feb 2026 - 6:09PMvideocam

Anutin Charnvirakul’s pro-military and pro-monarchy party had its best electoral performance ever in polls. Photo: Reuters

SCMP Highlights

Free Disneyland tickets for helpers; Chen Zhi’s extradition: 7 highlights

From free Disneyland tickets for Hong Kong’s helpers to China’s link to Southeast Asia, here are highlights from SCMP’s recent reporting.

13 Feb 2026 - 1:12PM

Scams and swindles

More Southeast Asian human trafficking gangs use crypto to move illegal funds

The transactions are linked to activities such as forced labour recruited by scammers and international escort services, a report says.

16 Feb 2026 - 4:48PMvideocam

Vietnam

Why tourists are choosing Vietnam, over Thailand and Cambodia in 2026

At a time when other popular parts of Asia are struggling with dwindling tourist numbers, how is Vietnam ⁠hitting record numbers of visitors?

12 Feb 2026 - 6:00PM

Tourists walk at a street in Hanoi, Vietnam last month. Photo: EPA

Defence

What US lifting of arms embargo on Cambodia means for defence ties

Analysts say Cambodia is likely to make only modest US arms purchases given its limited budget, and rely on Chinese weaponry for now.

10 Feb 2026 - 7:07PMvideocam

Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet (right) shakes hands with Samuel Paparo, commander of the US Indo-Pacific Command, in Phnom Penh on January 26. Photo: Agence Kampuchea Press via AP

South Korea

UK, US cybercrime cooperation ‘continues’ after Chen Zhi extradition to China

A senior Cambodian official tells SCMP that Phnom Penh is collaborating with Beijing, Washington and London in the investigations.

10 Feb 2026 - 5:39PMvideocam

Scams and swindles

Opinion | Cambodia is in a frontline battle against transnational scam syndicates

Targeted due to geography, Cambodia is on the front foot now, dismantling scam compounds, rescuing victims and prosecuting criminals.

10 Feb 2026 - 5:30AMvideocam

Tourism

Women-only travel tour to Vietnam sparks adventure and sisterhood

Amid growing demand for safe, small-group female travel, 17 women travelled with US-based AdventureWomen to explore Vietnam’s treasures.

9 Feb 2026 - 12:20PM

A member of an AdventureWomen tour poses for a photo with women working in rice paddies in northern Vietnam. Photo: TNS

Thailand

Conservatives storm to victory in Thailand’s election

The Bhumjaithai Party is forecast to win nearly 200 seats as People’s Party concedes election.

9 Feb 2026 - 2:43PMvideocam

US immigration

‘Deported but not defeated’: the Southeast Asians cast out of Trump’s US

Born in a Thai refugee camp and raised in Texas, Kham Paneboun is now stateless in Laos, one of thousands punished again for old crimes.

8 Feb 2026 - 8:00AMvideocam

2025 Cambodia-Thailand conflict

Cambodians lose homes as Thailand makes gains following clashes

Bangkok insists it has merely reclaimed land that was part of Thailand and had been occupied by Cambodians for years.

7 Feb 2026 - 5:28PM

Meas Kimheng gestures in front of her house, damaged during clashes between Thai and Cambodian soldiers, in Prey Chan village in Banteay Meanchey province on Thursday. Photo: AFP

Scams and swindles

Scripts, bank details and military rules: Cambodian scam compound secrets

Mostly run by Chinese criminal gangs and staffed partly by trafficking victims, these complexes have proliferated across Indochina.

7 Feb 2026 - 3:57PMvideocam

A Thai solider inspects a workstation inside a scam centre in O’Smach, Cambodia, on Monday. Photo: AP

Singapore

Singapore Airshow: airlines ‘crying out loud’ for planes amid supply crisis

With Boeing and Airbus set back by production bottlenecks, airlines are eager for more supply to tap Southeast Asia’s potential, analysts say.

6 Feb 2026 - 11:45PM

Thailand

‘Still handsome’ Abhisit breathes new life into Thailand’s oldest party

Although the ex-prime minister trails behind other candidates in support, he has helped the Democrats win back conservative voters.

4 Feb 2026 - 3:37PMvideocam

South Korea

‘Ruin you’: Cambodians outraged by South Korean president’s anti-scam threat

Critics said Lee Jae Myung should have posted in Chinese, not Khmer, as his warning to foreign syndicates sparked anger across Cambodia.

3 Feb 2026 - 3:53PM

South Korean President Lee Jae Myung and Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet shake hands during a summit in Kuala Lumpur on October 25, 2025. Photo: Korea Times

Thailand

Inside an abandoned Cambodian scam centre seized by Thai troops

Fake law enforcement uniforms from nations including China and Singapore were found alongside mock police sets used to intimidate victims.

5 Feb 2026 - 2:02PMvideocam

A room set up to imitate a Chinese police station pictured on Monday inside the O’Smach compound near the Cambodia-Thailand border. Photo: Reuters

Crime in China

China moves to boost cybercrime penalties by adding exit ban after sentences

Amid cross-border crackdown, draft Cybercrime Prevention and Control Law bill lists exit bans among tools to punish cybercriminals.

2 Feb 2026 - 10:24PMvideocam

Hong Kong courts

Mainland Chinese student jailed for 3 months for cheating in TOEFL test

Huang Xinyi paid someone else to take test on her behalf in Cambodia and submitted results to Hong Kong’s Lingnan University so she could graduate.

2 Feb 2026 - 7:26PM

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Cambodia

Bangladesh faces daunting post-election challenges in economy, garment sector

A key concern for Dhaka is the upgrade to developing nation status, with the key garment sector set to face stiffer competition.

Water prisons, torture: UN urges crackdown on brutal Southeast Asia scam centres

Indonesia seals ‘great’ US trade deal, agrees to send 8,000 troops to Gaza

Wall and words: Thailand and Cambodia fight for the world’s ear over border row

While Cambodia takes its border grievances to Trump’s Board of Peace, Thailand rejects its ‘false’ claims and threatens a border wall.

Chinese missions in Vietnam, Singapore warn citizens to stay away from gambling

Consulate and embassy issue statements after two separate incidents in which Chinese men fell to their deaths, allegedly after gambling.

Battered Cambodia seeks economic reset after Thailand border war

Shuttered borders have choked trade and sent migrant workers home, forcing Phnom Penh to seek new partners and markets.

Curry fishball toys a hit as Hong Kong nostalgia shines at Lunar New Year fair

Vendors say locally designed Hong Kong-themed merchandise drew in customers at Victoria Park’s Lunar New Year fair.

.css-1m2rp1p{color:#34b8b5;}Opinion | Cambodia’s scam factory survivors find no escape in freedom

A government crackdown freed thousands, but with no passports or support, survivors have simply traded captivity for destitution.

Opinion | More than funding, the UN needs restructuring

The UN’s financial strain is a chance to rethink its structure, cut inefficiencies and empower local work that delivers more impact.

Asian Angle | How Asean can resolve its Myanmar dilemma post-election

Asean should not discard the Five-Point Consensus, but translate it into a politically astute strategy of conditional engagement.

Thai PM agrees to form coalition with Thaksin-backed Pheu Thai

The 2 parties were previously coalition partners, until PM Anutin pulled out over a Cambodia border dispute scandal last June.

Free Disneyland tickets for helpers; Chen Zhi’s extradition: 7 highlights

From free Disneyland tickets for Hong Kong’s helpers to China’s link to Southeast Asia, here are highlights from SCMP’s recent reporting.

More Southeast Asian human trafficking gangs use crypto to move illegal funds

The transactions are linked to activities such as forced labour recruited by scammers and international escort services, a report says.

Why tourists are choosing Vietnam, over Thailand and Cambodia in 2026

At a time when other popular parts of Asia are struggling with dwindling tourist numbers, how is Vietnam ⁠hitting record numbers of visitors?

What US lifting of arms embargo on Cambodia means for defence ties

Analysts say Cambodia is likely to make only modest US arms purchases given its limited budget, and rely on Chinese weaponry for now.

UK, US cybercrime cooperation ‘continues’ after Chen Zhi extradition to China

A senior Cambodian official tells SCMP that Phnom Penh is collaborating with Beijing, Washington and London in the investigations.

Opinion | Cambodia is in a frontline battle against transnational scam syndicates

Targeted due to geography, Cambodia is on the front foot now, dismantling scam compounds, rescuing victims and prosecuting criminals.

Women-only travel tour to Vietnam sparks adventure and sisterhood

Amid growing demand for safe, small-group female travel, 17 women travelled with US-based AdventureWomen to explore Vietnam’s treasures.

Conservatives storm to victory in Thailand’s election

The Bhumjaithai Party is forecast to win nearly 200 seats as People’s Party concedes election.

‘Deported but not defeated’: the Southeast Asians cast out of Trump’s US

Born in a Thai refugee camp and raised in Texas, Kham Paneboun is now stateless in Laos, one of thousands punished again for old crimes.

Cambodians lose homes as Thailand makes gains following clashes

Bangkok insists it has merely reclaimed land that was part of Thailand and had been occupied by Cambodians for years.

Scripts, bank details and military rules: Cambodian scam compound secrets

Mostly run by Chinese criminal gangs and staffed partly by trafficking victims, these complexes have proliferated across Indochina.

Singapore Airshow: airlines ‘crying out loud’ for planes amid supply crisis

With Boeing and Airbus set back by production bottlenecks, airlines are eager for more supply to tap Southeast Asia’s potential, analysts say.

‘Still handsome’ Abhisit breathes new life into Thailand’s oldest party

Although the ex-prime minister trails behind other candidates in support, he has helped the Democrats win back conservative voters.

‘Ruin you’: Cambodians outraged by South Korean president’s anti-scam threat

Critics said Lee Jae Myung should have posted in Chinese, not Khmer, as his warning to foreign syndicates sparked anger across Cambodia.

Inside an abandoned Cambodian scam centre seized by Thai troops

Fake law enforcement uniforms from nations including China and Singapore were found alongside mock police sets used to intimidate victims.

China moves to boost cybercrime penalties by adding exit ban after sentences

Amid cross-border crackdown, draft Cybercrime Prevention and Control Law bill lists exit bans among tools to punish cybercriminals.

Mainland Chinese student jailed for 3 months for cheating in TOEFL test

Huang Xinyi paid someone else to take test on her behalf in Cambodia and submitted results to Hong Kong’s Lingnan University so she could graduate.

Opinion | Cambodia’s scam factory survivors find no escape in freedom