Owing to its prolonged political unrest, hundreds of small and medium-sized criminal gangs have found a safe haven in Cambodia. Most of these have either been operated from China or been run by Chinese citizens residing in Cambodia, according to one of persons quoted above.
The Chinese run groups run their business with the help of local influencers and, in a few cases, they even have the backing of local Chinese provincial governments and politicians, according to people familiar with the modus operandi. From arms smuggling to human trafficking, from money laundering to cybercrimes, these Chinese operated groups have been found involved in a variety of crimes, they said.
In some cases, these groups act like corporate organisations. They lure thousands of individuals from countries such as India, the Philippines, Bangladesh and other neighbours with the promise of high salary and better job opportunities.
After recruits join, these groups provide them training like any other regular business process outsourcing agent, and then collect their passports. Subsequently, these individuals are usually taken to southern Cambodia, from where they are either forced to work for online scams or sold as “slave employees” to other such groups.
Recently, many Indians have been rescued and the government has issued an advisory against applying for such jobs. In March, the external affairs ministry said that it had rescued about 250 Indians from Cambodia who were forced into cyber scamsIn other scenarios, victims are offered job opportunities in Bangkok and other places in Thailand. Once they arrive, they are transported to Cambodia via road, where they are forced to defraud people. These victims work in inhumane conditions. In several cases, the victims have lost their lives owing to continuous pressure from these groups.As per a report by the US State Department, more than 10,000 people from around the globe have been forced to work as defraud agents by these Chinese gangs in Cambodia. They were not only asked to defraud people or organisations but also forced to launch cyberattacks on various governmental or non-governmental organisations abroad, said the people cited earlier.
In September 2022, Cambodian foreign affairs ministry spokesperson Chum Sounry accepted that Cambodia had received requests for intervention from at least nine countries on the issue of forced labour – Thailand, the Philippines, India, Nepal, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Indonesia, Mongolia and Malaysia.
In 2018, Cambodian police arrested more than 200 Chinese citizens from Takeo province for cybercrimes. In 2022, Cambodia’s interior ministry said it has freed about 900 individuals in 2022 alone from traffickers.
In October 2023, more than 20 organisations affiliated with the Cambodian government were attacked by various Chinese hacking groups. These groups were able to infiltrate even into the data related to the Cambodian national defence.
Similar cases have surfaced in Myanmar as well, where Chinese groups in the northern part of the country lured hundreds of individuals and forced them to defraud people.
Experts blamed the current regime in Cambodia for allowing Chinese gangs to operate freely in the country. Many of these groups have allegedly been found operating from the homes of nephews, relatives and associates of the current Prime Minister.
Under China’s Belt and Road Initiative, Cambodia received monetary benefits but gave space to a cyber fraud industry and illegitimate gambling industry. Many such new industries have been mushroomed ever since Chinese investors and Chinese monetary assistance arrived in Cambodia, said people in the know.
Analysts fear that Cambodia has allowed these cyber groups to operate inside its territory following the directions received from China. The Chinese Communist Party owns a number of such groups across the Indo-Chinese peninsula.
These Chinese groups allegedly launch cyberattacks on government departments in countries such as the US, UK, Australia, India, South Korea and Japan.
While Cambodia has been identified as the country of origin for such crimes, the masterminds remain beyond reach. In 2022, the Trafficking in Persons report of the US State Department further downgraded Cambodia to a tier-3 country. Phnom Penh is the victim of China’s “debt trap” and without any international support it will remain China’s puppet, said according to an expert on China-SE Asia ties.