Cambodia cybercrime crackdown arrest tally hits 2,000

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Suspects detained during a police raid on a scam centre in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, on July 16.

PHOTO: EPA

PHNOM PENH – The number of suspects arrested in a Cambodian crackdown on i

nternet scam centres has risen to 2,000

The United Nations has described South-east Asia as the “ground zero” of cybercrime centres, where workers typically use romance or business cons to defraud web users of an estimated US$40 billion (S$51.3 billion) annually.

Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet this week issued a directive telling law enforcement and the military to clamp down on the internet sweatshops or risk losing their jobs.

Information minister Neth Pheaktra, a member of a committee to combat online scams, told AFP authorities have expanded their raids to nine of the country’s 25 provinces.

“So far some 2,000 suspects have been arrested,” he said, adding that the suspects include Chinese, Vietnamese, Indonesian and Indian nationals.

He said the government wants to make the country “no safe haven for online scammers” and “will dismantle every scam network no matter where they hide”.

At least 226 Chinese nationals were among the detained suspects, according to a police report, which said some ringleaders would face prosecution in Cambodia while most others will be expelled.

The justice ministry said it suspended one prosecutor pending an