Cambodia Targets Foreign Cybercriminals: 15,000 Ex | RSS.com
The Minister of Interior, Sar Sokha, has confirmed that over the past two years, Cambodian authorities have expelled more than 15,000 foreigners linked to online crimes.
Speaking at a seminar on experience-sharing in combating cybercrime and money laundering on October 8, Sar Sokha noted that during the sixth term of the government, over 21,000 foreigners involved in cybercrime were expelled. In the seventh term, approximately 15,000 more have been deported.
Sar Sokha emphasized that these actions reflect the seventh-term government’s strong commitment to addressing online crime. He added that tackling cybercrime is not solely Cambodia’s responsibility, but requires cooperation from multiple countries to jointly combat these offenses.
According to the minister, cybercrime has evolved rapidly in recent years and is more complex than it was five years ago. Cambodia is not a haven for cybercriminal networks. Previously, these groups often gathered in large numbers in public areas or specific locations, but now they operate in smaller, dispersed groups.
Deputy Head of the National Committee for Combating Human Trafficking, Chou Bun Eng, has stated that suppressing online crime is particularly challenging because some operations are hidden under legal business fronts. Additionally, foreign nationals entering Cambodia often do not declare their true intentions, complicating oversight.
A letter from the Ministry of Interior dated July 10, 2020, indicated that over 89,000 foreign nationals applied for official recognition as immigrants and permanent residency across Cambodia. Among them were more than 28,000 households from 11 different nationalities, with nearly 89,500 Vietnamese nationals. Other nationalities with residency permits numbered only around 315 individuals.
These measures underscore the government’s ongoing efforts to maintain law and order online while protecting Cambodia from exploitation by foreign criminal networks.
