Thailand’s military said on Monday that it had recovered evidence of transnational fraud from a Cambodian scam compound.
During last year’s clashes, the Thai military struck several casino complexes it alleged were scam compounds, saying they were also used to store weapons and launch attacks.
The Osmak Complex, which is located along the disputed Cambodia-Thailand border, was seized by Thai forces during clashes last year between the two countries.
Osmak has previously been named as a base for scam operations by the U.S.
Lieutenant General Tirana Nantakwong, Director General of the Royal Thai Army’s Directorate of Intelligence said there was evidence of a sophisticated system of operations at the scam centre.
Other evidence found included SIM cards and fake materials used to convince victims, he added.
Thai military officials said the complex had housed thousands of people, many of them victims of human trafficking who were forced to scam strangers or face punishment.
In one of the buildings, documents containing apparent target lists, contact details, and scripts for scam dialogues were strewn everywhere.
Rooms were set up to create the impression they were police agencies from different countries such as China, Brazil, and Australia.
Touch Sokhak, a spokesperson for Cambodia’s Interior Ministry, told Reuters that Thailand had used scam centres as a pretext for military attacks, adding that Cambodia was carrying out a crackdown on scams and had pledged to eradicate the illicit industry before April.
Cambodian Government’s Alleged Ties with Scam Kingpin
One of the largest scam leaders who was sanctioned jointly by the U.S. and U.K. was a personal advisor of the Cambodian government.
Last October, the US and U.K. had issued a notice of sweeping sanctions on 146 individuals and entities, including Chen Zhi and his three Singaporean accomplices.
They described the sanctions as the “largest action ever targeting cybercriminal networks in Southeast Asia” for operating online investment scams targeting Americans and others worldwide.
Chen, a Chinese-born Cambodian national, had been operating Prince Group, a Cambodian company for a decade since 2015.
Chen had deep ties with the Cambodian government as he was the personal advisor to Hun Sen, the former prime minister of Cambodia and father of the current prime minister Hun Manet, and was bestowed the highest title “Neak Oknha” by the Cambodia’s king in the year 2020.
However, the Cambodian government did not hand him over to the U.S.
Chen was extradited to China on Jan. 7, about three months after the U.S.’ sanction notice was released.
His extradition raised questions.
The Cambodian authorities announced in a brief statement of Chen’s extradition to China on Jan. 7, saying he was investigated for several months by both governments.
Both Cambodian and Chinese governments did not say what crimes Chen was allegedly involved in, unlike the sweeping sanction notice by the U.S. and the U.K.
One would have presumed that Chen would be on the run after the release of the sanction notice.
However, a warrant of arrest was not issued by Beijing at the time of his extradition which suggested Chen’s whereabouts was not unknown.
The Cambodian government also did not disclose if Chen was on the run, and where or how he was captured.
