Cambodia's Svay Rieng Province Raids Suspected Online Scam Sites, Finds 20 Foreigners

In Bavet City, Svay Rieng Province, southeastern Cambodia, the Provincial Administrative Unity Command, led by Deputy Governor Men Eng, in cooperation with the Bavet City Administrative Unity Command, led by City Mayor Men Chanra, launched a large-scale administrative inspection and crackdown operation on suspected online scam locations on July 16. The operation was directly coordinated by Deputy Prosecutor Chan Vannak of the Svay Rieng Provincial Court, with the participation of the Deputy Mayor of Bavet City, the Director of the Cybercrime Prevention Office, the Deputy Police Chief of Bavet City, the Deputy Commander of the City Gendarmerie, the Deputy Director of City Administration, village chiefs of Bavet On and Bavet Kandal villages, and personnel from the Bavet City Police Administration Post and provincial forces for crime prevention stationed in the city. During the administrative inspection of three locations, a total of eight foreigners were found: seven Chinese nationals and one Filipino national. All of these foreigners possessed valid passports and visas. Furthermore, the joint team proceeded to crack down on four additional locations suspected of engaging in online scams, discovering a total of 20 Vietnamese nationals, including three women. Numerous items were found, including personal mobile phones, various mobile phones, laptops, All-in-One computers, passports, Vietnamese identification cards, and monitors. At the first location, a rented house owned by Chea Kanharith (male, Khmer), authorities found six Vietnamese nationals residing there. Evidence recovered included 10 personal mobile phones, 34 various mobile phones, 3 laptops, 9 All-in-One computers, 4 passports, 30 Vietnamese ID cards, and 2 monitors. At the second location, owned by Niob Kimleng (female), three Vietnamese males were found residing there. Recovered evidence included 7 laptops, 3 personal mobile phones, and 1 various mobile phone. At the third location, owned by Kaet Aun (female), a total of 11 Vietnamese nationals, including three women, were found residing there. Evidence recovered included 1 laptop, 13 personal mobile phones, 13 various mobile phones, 10 All-in-One computers, and 9 passports. Regarding the fourth location, after being notified of the administrative inspection, the homeowner agreed to allow the team to cut the lock and enter the premises. On the ground floor, authorities found some equipment including 16 All-in-One desktop computers and 11 monitors. On the first floor, 17 All-in-One desktop computers, 2 monitors, 14 various mobile phones, and 1 CPU tower were found. Notably, on the attic floor in a back room, the joint team observed signs of cut window bars and a rope lowered to the ground, suggesting a possible escape route. After the inspection was completed, no items were confiscated from the fourth location, and it was decided to keep the materials on-site. However, all four of these locations were temporarily closed by the joint team pending further legal procedures. This operation highlights the ongoing efforts to combat cross-border criminal activities and online fraud within Cambodia, which has seen a rise in such incidents involving foreign nationals. The presence of various nationalities, including Chinese, Filipino, and Vietnamese, indicates a complex network of criminal operations.