Recently, a flight from Phnom Penh, Cambodia to Shanghai has attracted attention. Witnesses said that nearly a hundred Chinese passengers were taken away by law enforcement officers after landing. This is not an isolated case—similar scenes have also appeared in the Philippines, Myanmar, and other places recently, with batches of Chinese personnel being caught by local police and directly repatriated.
Insiders revealed that many of these deportees are suspected of involvement in cross-border crimes such as telecommunications fraud and online gambling. As the cases are directly related to domestic victims, Chinese police have established a rapid transfer mechanism with Southeast Asian countries. Once the flight lands, border inspection personnel precisely identify based on previously shared intelligence and implement "arrest upon landing" control measures.
Data shows that in recent years, areas like Sihanoukville in Cambodia and Myawaddy in Myanmar have gathered a large number of Chinese nationals engaged in gray industries. With the joint law enforcement efforts of China, Myanmar, Cambodia, and the Philippines intensifying, these "telecom fraud parks" are facing unprecedented crackdowns. In just the first half of the year, more than 2000 suspects were escorted back to the country, most of whom face criminal charges.
It is worth noting that this repatriation action shows new characteristics:
Scale centralization: Upgrading from sporadic arrests to batch transfers
Process efficiency: Some cases achieve a "foreign arrest - repatriation within 48 hours - domestic roundup" full chain closure
Precision striking: Relying on facial recognition and big data analysis, even using fake passports can quickly lock identities
Lin, who once worked in the exchange business in Sihanoukville (pseudonym), revealed: "Now at Phnom Penh airport, there are deportations every day, some people are intercepted by local police right after they leave the company." As Southeast Asian countries tighten work visas for Chinese nationals, coupled with the domestic "card-breaking operation" cutting off the funding chain, gray industry practitioners are caught in a dilemma of "can't stay abroad, get caught once back home."
Legal experts point out that according to Article 7 of the Chinese Criminal Law, crimes committed abroad against Chinese citizens are also subject to territorial jurisdiction. This means that even if the fraud occurs in Cambodia, as long as the victims are in China, the suspects must still bear criminal responsibility after returning to the country. Currently, police in various places have established specialized case teams to implement "dual investigations for one case"—both pursuing the perpetrators and striking at the industry chain's facilitators.
This transnational crackdown is rewriting the "gold rush myth" in Southeast Asia. As a certain anti-fraud police officer said: "Don't think you're safe hiding abroad, now every flight back home could potentially be a 'dedicated transfer'." For those practitioners still watching, voluntarily surrendering may have become the best option.
