According to reports from Reuters and the Cambodian Times on July 31, Tom Andrews, the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Cambodia, said on Friday that the proliferation of transnational cybercrime groups has become one of the most serious human rights challenges in Cambodia. The 'cyber fraud crisis' has also exacerbated the country's economic difficulties.
He affirmed Cambodia's continuous efforts to combat telecom fraud in its industrial parks. However, he also publicly questioned the Cambodian government about why, while carrying out large-scale campaigns against telecom fraud, no thorough investigations were conducted on the political and commercial figures suspected of being involved in telecom fraud crimes.
Andrews, who just completed his first official visit to Cambodia, stated at a press conference that the Cambodian government has taken severe measures to combat online fraud over the past year. More than 600 online fraud bases have been dismantled, and the licenses of 29 casinos have been revoked or suspended. Approximately 3,000 fraud operators are facing criminal proceedings.
He said that seeing the financial fraud districts being closed one after another, and various parties working together to strengthen coordination and cooperation in addressing this issue, he felt relieved and remained optimistic about the future.
However, according to officials and researchers cited by Andrews, the Cambodian government has not taken action against senior officials and other influential individuals who are “truly” involved in online fraud activities.
He stated that fraud syndicates continue to operate within Cambodia, and many of them evade detection by changing their locations and operating methods. Additionally, corruption among officials undermines law enforcement efforts, allowing fraud syndicates to be notified in advance of police raids and thus escape in time. He emphasized that to completely eradicate electronic fraud, the government must cut off the connections between criminal networks and political and business elites, and prosecute all involved individuals according to the law.
When answering media questions, he said that anyone who participated in, assisted with, or benefited from the fraud operations, regardless of whether they came from the public sector or the private sector, and regardless of their position, should be investigated and held accountable according to the law.
He specifically pointed out that it is a positive sign that Prime Minister Hong Manai personally leads the relevant committee to promote efforts to combat online fraud.
"But my stance has never changed; anyone who should bear responsibility must bear it according to law." Andrew said.
