Cambodian police raided an online fraud compound in Bavet, detaining more than 2,000 foreigners, including nearly 1,800 from mainland China. The operation highlights the Cambodian government's resolve to crack down on online scammers.
The Cambodian interior ministry reported that police conducted a large-scale enforcement operation on Saturday morning at an online fraud compound in Bavet, the largest city in the southeastern province of Svay Rieng, which borders Vietnam. A total of 2,044 foreigners were detained, including 1,792 from mainland China, five from Taiwan, 177 from Vietnam, 179 from Myanmar, and the rest from neighboring Southeast and South Asian countries.
An interior ministry spokesman stated that the action “truly reflects” the Cambodian government's commitment to never loosening crackdowns on online scammers. The statement did not specify whether Cambodia plans to extradite the foreign suspects to their home countries.
Bavet, located in southeastern Cambodia near the Vietnamese border, has been a hotspot for cybercrime operations in Southeast Asia. Cambodia has intensified cooperation with China in recent years to combat cross-border scams.