Banteay Meanchey Governor Reports Over 200 Scam Busts; 'Poipet Not Yet Completely Cleared'

Banteay Meanchey provincial authorities have shared the success of their efforts to suppress online scam activities in the province, reporting that in the past seven months alone, they have dismantled more than 200 operations and detained tens of thousands of foreign suspects. Governor Oum Reatrey said the operations were carried out by joint law enforcement forces and the provincial unified command committee as part of the current intensified campaign against technology-enabled fraud. Among the tens of thousands of foreigners identified during the raids, many have already been deported by Cambodian immigration authorities, while others remain in prison pending legal proceedings. “As of now, we have cracked down on more than 200 locations across Banteay Meanchey province and discovered tens of thousands of foreign nationals,” Reatrey noted. “Some have been deported, while many others remain in prison, including both foreign nationals and Cambodian suspects involved in these offences,” he added. The governor said deportations have been coordinated by the General Department of Immigration (GDI), with foreigners returned to countries including Vietnam, China and Indonesia, as well as Thailand, via the Poipet International Border Checkpoint. He added that many of the operations targeted large compounds, with the number of suspects ranging from a few hundred people to in some cases 500, or even as many as 2,000 individuals. Reatrey acknowledged that the campaign has relied on close cooperation between multiple law enforcement agencies and the provincial unified command. He thanked all of the officers and other officials involved for their dedication, noting that many operations continued late into the night. According to the governor, four areas presented the greatest challenges during the seven-month campaign: Poipet town, Malai district, Svay Chek district and Ou Chrov district. However, he said authorities have effectively dismantled scam operations in Malai and Svay Chek. “Over the past seven months we have enforced the law very strictly in Malai district, where operations have now been completed. The same applies to Svay Chek district,” he said. “I cannot yet say Ou Chrov has been one hundred per cent cleared, but the major operations appear to have been eliminated, and we are continuing to pursue the remaining cases. Poipet town has not yet been completely cleared,” he added. The governor’s comments come as Cambodia continues a nationwide campaign against transnational crime syndicates. Earlier this month, GDI director-general Sok Veasna told the Ministry of Interior television channel that more than 45,000 foreigners were deported in the first six months of 2026, including more than 16,000 people detained at scam sites. He said the number of deportations exceeded the total number of foreign nationals deported during the previous decade. Separately, an interior ministry report on the latest phase of the anti-online scam campaign said authorities conducted 40 operations in Phnom Penh and the provinces of Kandal, Banteay Meanchey, Preah Sihanouk, Koh Kong, Kampong Speu, Svay Rieng and Kampong Cham, during the first two weeks of July. Ministry deputy spokesperson Touch Sokhak said the operations resulted in the detention of 636 people from 21 nations. Of them, police have transferred nine suspects from three countries to court for prosecution, while 627 people from 17 nationalities remain under investigation.