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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

Indonesia

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

A US general said Jakarta will take a deputy commander role in the international stabilisation force in Gaza.

4 hours agovideocam

Thailand

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

19 Feb 2026 - 4:16PMvideocam

China-Asean relations

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

Cambodian migrant workers cross from Thailand into Cambodia at the Ban Laem checkpoint in Chanthaburi on July 28, 2025. At least 20,000 people were estimated to be returning to Cambodia amid fighting along the Thai–Cambodian border around that time despite reported peace talks. Photo: dpa

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

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

Internally displaced Palestinians walk among the ruins of the Al Tuffah neighbourhood in eastern Gaza City on February 11. The UN human rights office has maintained a presence in Gaza despite the challenges. Photo: EPA

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

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

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

The Li Ka Shing Foundation and the Hong Kong Disneyland Resort are providing 5,000 domestic helpers with a free visit to the theme park. Photo: Jonathan Wong

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

Soldiers raid the KK Park online scam centre in Myawaddy township, Karen state, Myanmar, last year. Photo: AP

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

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

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

Billionaire businessman Chen Zhi arrives in Beijing under armed police escort on January 7 to face cybercrime accusations. Photo: AFP

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

In a November 12 raid, the Cambodian authorities rounded up thousands at an online fraud compound in Bavet City, the largest city in the southeastern province of Svay Rieng, which shares a border with Vietnam. Photo: Handout

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

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

US federal agents enter a residential building in Minneapolis, Minnesota, on Thursday. Photo: AFP

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

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

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

Attendees visit the Boeing pavilion at the Singapore Airshow at Changi Exhibition Centre on Tuesday. Photo: Reuters

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

Democrat Party prime ministerial candidate Abhisit Vejjajiva (centre) walks through a market in Bangkok during an election campaign rally on January 27. Photo: Reuters

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

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

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

A draft bill announced by China’s public security ministry aims to impose an exit ban on Chinese found guilty of cross-border online crimes for up to three years after serving their sentence. Photo: Shutterstock

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

Student Huang Xinyi has been sentenced to jail for submitting a fraudulent TOEFL test result in order to graduate from Hong Kong’s Lingnan University. Photo: K. Y. Cheng

China-Asean relations

Nearly 1,800 Chinese among thousands held as Cambodian police raid scam compound

Action ‘truly reflects’ that Cambodian government will never loosen crackdowns on online scammers, interior ministry spokesman says.

1 Feb 2026 - 8:56PMvideocam

South Korea

South Korea forced to act after Cambodian worker’s death in freezing dorm

Seoul has apologised and pledged to improve foreign worker housing following the woman’s death in a makeshift dwelling in 2020.

30 Jan 2026 - 4:01PM

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Cambodia

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

A US general said Jakarta will take a deputy commander role in the international stabilisation force in Gaza.

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

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

Nearly 1,800 Chinese among thousands held as Cambodian police raid scam compound

Action ‘truly reflects’ that Cambodian government will never loosen crackdowns on online scammers, interior ministry spokesman says.

South Korea forced to act after Cambodian worker’s death in freezing dorm

Seoul has apologised and pledged to improve foreign worker housing following the woman’s death in a makeshift dwelling in 2020.

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