"Crackdowns Just for Show?"... Cambodia's Criminal Compounds Increase Over the Past Year

"Key Figures Likely Not Apprehended"

Controversy has arisen after an international human rights organization released a report indicating that the number of criminal compounds in Cambodia has actually increased recently. While the Cambodian government touts the results of its large-scale crackdowns, critics point out that criminal compounds are continuing to spread on the ground.

62% Increase in Criminal Compounds Compared to Last Year

According to a report published by Amnesty International on June 8, 2026 (local time), there were 86 criminal compounds operating across Cambodia as of April 2026. This figure represents an increase of approximately 62% compared to the 53 sites recorded last year. Notably, only 24 of these locations were confirmed to have been subject to government crackdowns.

In its report, Amnesty International stated, "Cambodia's crackdowns have failed in key areas," and added, "Authorities have not properly investigated or shut down some of the country's most notorious criminal compounds and have also failed to provide protection and support to victims who managed to escape." The organization also noted that, although thousands of people are believed to have escaped or been released from these compounds during the crackdowns, a significant number of them were treated as illegal immigration offenders despite being victims.

"Cambodia's Crackdowns? Merely for Show," Critics Say

Previously, in March 2026, Chhay Sinarith, Senior Minister and Head of Cambodia's National Committee for Countering Online Fraud, stated that the government had focused on cracking down on around 250 scam operations since July of the previous year, shutting down approximately 200 of them. In addition, last month the Cambodian government announced that it had indicted 1,458 individuals connected to scam organizations and deported 18,864 people from 33 countries who worked for these operations through an intensive crackdown.

However, Julia Dixon, a researcher at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), told Bloomberg that "most of Cambodia's crackdowns appear to be nothing more than a show," adding, "It is likely that core members within the scam operations were warned in advance of the raids, so the actual key figures were not apprehended."

Dixon also claimed that there were indications some individuals who escaped or were released from criminal compounds became victims of trafficking again. She explained, "During the crackdowns in Cambodia, you would have seen people pouring into the streets," and continued, "With nowhere to go and no way to return to their home countries, some end up in other criminal compounds—some voluntarily, others involuntarily."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.