Chinese Chamber of Commerce Urges Government to Act on Chinese Scams and Trafficking
The Chinese Chamber of Commerce in Cambodia has released an open letter to call for a fight against vicious crimes involving Chinese citizens in Cambodia on Feb. 24. Photo from nkdnews
- By Sam Sopich
- February 28, 2022 6:07 PM
Following a recent spate of violent detentions and scams involving Chinese gangs operating out of Cambodia, the Chinese Chamber of Commerce issued an open letter calling for severe actions
PHNOM PENH--The Chinese Chamber of Commerce in Cambodia has released an open letter to call for a fight against vicious crimes involving Chinese citizens in Cambodia on Feb. 24.
The Chinese Chamber of Commerce in Cambodia raised concern over the recent spate of what they called “pernicious case[s] of shooting, kidnapping, and extortion involving Chinese citizen[s] in Cambodia that their methods of criminal are extremely cruel with crossing the line of human behavior.”
The statement went on to say that the online gambling and telecommunication fraud groups, which have caused immeasurable damage to Cambodia’s business environment, have seriously affected the confidence of Chinese investors.
“If the internet gambling groups [are] allowed to play the bully and do whatever [they] want, Chinese enterprises that intend to develop in Cambodia will not only be deterred, but also seriously affect the business prospects and confidence of Chinese companies already operating in Cambodia,” the statement read.
In order to protect the safety of Chinese investors and attract more enterprises, the Chinese Chamber of Commerce in Cambodia strongly urged the government and relevant departments to take effective measure as soon as possible to speed up the investigation of cases and severely punish criminals.
“It is important to root out online gambling and telecommunication fraud groups and derivative illegal activities in the so-called “Zoon” and create a safe and favorable business environment for Chinese enterprises in Cambodia,” the statement said.
The recent streak of Chinese scam gang-related crimes and reports of victims have stemmed from a series of stories published by VOD English, which has been at the forefront of uncovering violent cases of forced labor among Chinese companies operating in Cambodia.
VOD English’s reporting has unearthed a number of stories from Sihanoukville—a heavily Chinese-funded coastal city in Cambodia—where increasing numbers of mainland Chinese victims have fallen for traps. Lured in by job adverts promising good pay, a number of Chinese people have then been effectively enslaved, beaten and their families forced to pay ransoms for their release.
These reports have implicated infamous timber baron Try Pheap in Chinese scams and violent detentions, but has also found instances where Thai, Pakistani and Taiwanese nationals—among others—have been ensnared in forced labor, working for Chinese telemarketing scam companies that seek to extract money by employing a range of digital scams, chiefly revolving around social media and dating apps.
In breaking these stories, VOD English has uncovered potential connections between Cambodia’s rich and powerful and the Chinese scammers vehemently denounced in today’s announcement from the Chinese Chamber of Commerce.
More recently, a VOD English story was picked up internationally after one trafficking victim alleged his blood had been harvested in Sihanoukville in August 2021 until his recent rescue.
The Chinese Embassy in Phnom Penh acknowledged the case in a Feb. 16 statement, saying the victim was lured by “false job advertisements” and noted that doctors had reported the victim had lost large amounts of blood.
“Taking this opportunity, the Chinese Embassy in Cambodia once again reminds Chinese citizens who want to work in Cambodia to follow formal channels and not to believe in false advertisements of high-paying jobs,” the embassy’s statement read. “In case of fraud, kidnapping, restriction of personal freedom, etc., you must try to report the case to the Cambodian police as soon as possible and inform the embassy of the situation, so that the police can file a case for investigation in a timely manner.”
The story took another twist on Feb. 28 when the General Commissariat of the National Police issued a statement saying that the Chinese victim had since recanted his story and admitted to fabricating having had his blood drained and sold by Chinese gangsters.
The National Police went on to accuse unnamed media outlets of attempting to confuse national and international audiences.
“We call for news institutions and social medias, please edit their contents to avoid public confusion and scare national and international tourists,” the statement read.
However, the authorities’ ability to convince victims and witnesses to change their testimony has been well-documented in Cambodia and doctors have publicly confirmed that the victim has lost blood, but it remains to be seen whether the authorities will act upon the Chinese Chamber of Commerce’s call to action.
One man has been arrested in conjunction with the alleged blood harvesting, although he appears to be Chinese national who was involved in securing the rescue of numerous individuals trafficked by Chinese scam artists.
Neither spokespeople from the National Police nor the Ministry of Interior would confirm further details about the arrest, but in 2020, Cambodian authorities arrested 523 Chinese nationals in connection with crimes committed in Cambodia.
Most of the arrested Chinese nationals were involved in murders, kidnappings, violence, fraud and theft, drug smuggling and illegal use of weapons.
