On Thursday, June 26, the latest report released by Amnesty International revealed that the Cambodian government turned a blind eye to the widespread occurrences of slavery, human trafficking, child labor, and torture within over fifty scamming zones in the country. It is suspected that the government has colluded with Chinese criminal syndicates in these illegal activities.
Secretary-General of Amnesty International, Agnes Callamard, stated that job seekers from Asia and other regions were enticed by high salaries only to end up in labor camps operated by organized crime syndicates, where they were coerced into fraud under the threat of violence.
Amnesty International’s investigation showed that many scamming zones in Cambodia were initially casinos or hotels that were repurposed and exploited by primarily Chinese criminal gangs following Cambodia’s ban on online gambling in 2019.
The Chinese criminal syndicates operating scamming zones in Cambodia have been accused of being supported and controlled by the Chinese government behind the scenes.
In February of this year, an informant Mr. Li disclosed to Epoch Times the evolution of scamming zones and pointed out that the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) is the ultimate backer of these fraudulent establishments. He mentioned that the scamming industry and the CCP’s “Belt and Road” initiative have a symbiotic relationship, spreading across Cambodia, the Philippines, Thailand, Myanmar, and even in Africa – wherever the “Belt and Road” reaches.
As early as 2022, due to multiple cases of Taiwanese individuals being deceived and subjected to imprisonment, abuse, sexual assault, and even organ harvesting in Cambodia, the Taiwanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs publicly expressed that Sihanoukville in Cambodia had become a hotbed of crime, a legacy of the CCP’s “Belt and Road” policy.
Amnesty International’s 240-page investigation report titled “I Am Someone Else’s Property: Slavery, Human Trafficking, and Torture in Cambodian Scamming Zones” is said to be the most comprehensive documentation of the scamming issue in Cambodia to date.
During the 18-month investigation, Amnesty International visited 52 out of 53 scamming zones and 45 other highly suspicious locations. They interviewed 58 survivors from eight countries, including nine minors. Additionally, Amnesty International reviewed records of 336 other victims of Cambodian scamming zones.
The interviewees shared accounts of being deceived, trafficked, and forced to engage in criminal activities within these scamming zones. Despite the severe human rights abuses within these zones, local authorities have been slow to shut them down. The investigation results suggest potential cooperation or collusion between Chinese nationals running scamming zones and Cambodian law enforcement.
The Cambodian government claims to have established the “National Anti-Human Trafficking Committee” and several department-level task forces to address the crisis in scamming zones. These task forces are responsible for overseeing the “rescue” operations of victims in these zones.
However, Amnesty International’s report points out that over two-thirds of the scamming zones continue operations after police raids and “rescue” actions. For example, a zone in Botum Sakor, despite widespread media coverage of human trafficking incidents and multiple police interventions to rescue victims, is still operational to this day.
“These activities appear to have the tacit approval of the Cambodian government,” criticized Callamard, stating that the government’s failure has emboldened criminal networks, which now extend their reach internationally, impacting millions of people through these scams.
Cambodian authorities have even suppressed individuals openly discussing the issues related to scamming zones, with reports indicating that multiple human rights defenders and journalists have been arrested for raising awareness on this matter.
Moreover, the local media outlet “Voice of Democracy” was forced to shut down in 2023 after reporting on related issues, believed to be in retaliation.
The report revealed that scamming zones are equipped with surveillance cameras, barbed wire fences, and a large number of security personnel carrying batons and sometimes even firearms. Survivors expressed that “escaping is impossible.”
Most victims were lured to Cambodia through deceptive recruitment advertisements on social media platforms like Facebook and Instagram. Survivor Lisa (alias) shared how she was trafficked while looking for a job during a vacation in Thailand. At the age of 18, she was enticed with photos of high-paying administrative work and luxury hotels, eventually coerced into fraudulent activities for 11 months in Cambodia. The zone was guarded by armed security, and when Lisa attempted to escape, she was severely beaten. She recalled, “There were four men… three held me down, while the leader used a metal rod to beat the soles of my feet… they said they would keep hitting me until I stopped screaming.”
Survivors mentioned being forced to contact others through social media platforms for fraudulent activities, including false romances, investment scams, fictitious goods trades, or deceptive financial exploitation after gaining trust, like the notorious “pump and dump” fraud.
The report also noted instances of deaths inside or nearby scamming zones. One survivor recalled hearing the sound of a body falling from a roof, and Amnesty International confirmed the death of an underage Chinese national inside a zone.
Survivor Xidi (alias) described witnessing a Vietnamese person being continuously beaten by the zone boss for about 25 minutes until the victim turned purple, then shocked into unconsciousness with an electric baton in a brutal process. Xidi said, “The boss told me another zone would come to ‘buy’ him.”
Among the interviewed nine minors, five reported experiencing torture or abuse. Savat (alias), a 17-year-old Thai boy, revealed he had been beaten by multiple managers and threatened to undress and jump off a building.
Amnesty International has submitted its findings to the Cambodian National Anti-Human Trafficking Committee. The committee responded and provided intervention data for the zones, though the information was vague, failing to clarify whether the government pursues identification, investigation, or prosecution of suspects beyond deprivation of liberty. The committee did not respond to the list of scamming zones and suspicious locations provided by Amnesty International.