On July 14, 2025, Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet issued a directive for a nationwide joint law enforcement effort to crack down on telecommunications fraud dens and eradicate online fraud groups. Upon issuance of the order, Cambodian police launched simultaneous raids in various locations over three days, swiftly arresting thousands, causing the fraud parks to "completely collapse".
Three-Day Operation, Fraud Parks Uprooted
July 14, Phnom Penh: 234 individuals were arrested, mostly Vietnamese and Cambodian nationals, with complete scripts and tools for committing crimes found on site.
July 15, Sihanoukville and Pursat Province: Raids on 4 parks resulted in 90 arrests, including a gang involved in fake bank app scams.
July 16, Multi-province Coordination:
Kampong Cham Province broke up a large den, arresting 312 people from China, Vietnam, Thailand, Indonesia, and Laos;
Poipet city saw the sealing of a scam office building, with 271 Indonesians arrested;
Nearly a hundred suspects from mainland China and Taiwan were arrested in Phnom Penh;
In Siem Reap, Battambang, and Phnom Penh's "Lucky Park", multiple points were netted, with over 2000 individuals fleeing, intercepted by police roadblocks, the slower ones were taken away in vehicles.
This large-scale law enforcement is more than just surface arrests, with police loudly declaring ongoing clearance of parks, networks, and back offices, aiming to create a comprehensive deterrent effect.
Recalling the 2019 "Gambling Ban", History Repeats?
In 2019, Prime Minister Hun Sen issued a gambling ban, leading to the collapse of the casino industry in Sihanoukville, with tens of thousands of Chinese fleeing and the gambling economic system quickly disintegrating. Although there were clean-ups at the time, they seemed more like a "symbolic strike". However, the background and execution intensity of this July's actions are entirely different.
Previously in April, China and Cambodia signed 37 cooperation agreements, including combating cross-border crime and telecom fraud. However, that round of law enforcement mainly targeted small dens in Phnom Penh and Sihanoukville, more symbolic cooperation.
This storm appears more like a comprehensive settlement under "international pressure". With the United Nations human rights organizations speaking out, US pressure escalating to sanctions, and Thailand's strong stance, Cambodia is compelled to take more decisive action.
From Phnom Penh, Sihanoukville sweeping through to Kampong Cham, Poipet, Siem Reap, Battambang... the crackdown covers the entire territory, targeting highly internationalized suspects from China, Vietnam, Indonesia, and Laos, dealing a heavy blow to transnational telecom fraud groups.
End of the Gray Industry? Times Have Changed
From 2019 to 2025, the telecom fraud industry once thrived in Cambodia, but this round of "encirclement-style" crackdown has left little room for the gray industry to survive. The era of parks relying on bribes and connections for survival is ending. Now, fraud groups without backing are unlikely to escape being cleansed.
It is rumored that Chinese police have also intervened, with "Uncle Hat" appearing in Phnom Penh, and it might soon be the turn of new gray industry strongholds like Pailin, Mondulkiri, Tboung Khmum, Mok Bai, and Seven Star Sea to face a strong attack. Border ports in Poipet and Battambang are no longer safe, as "encirclement and support" tactics are being deployed.
The myth of Cambodia's gray industry is coming to an end, this time it's not a play, nor a warning, but a real action. For those still watching in the parks, this storm has already left no place to hide.
