Amnesty Alleges Cambodian Security Forces Guarded Illegal Scam Compounds

According to a recent investigation by Amnesty International, serving Cambodian police and military officers worked as private security guards inside illicit online scam compounds. The global rights organization stated that these individuals operated within security firms that facilitated widespread forced labor, slavery, and sexual violence. The inquiry concluded that guards employed electric batons and physical abuse to prevent trapped workers from escaping the facilities. > Security personnel enabled mass exploitation by guarding scam compounds and hunting down escapees. Agnès Callamard, the secretary general of Amnesty International, noted that survivor accounts regarding the presence of military and police personnel could finally be verified. The investigation drew on 151 interviews with survivors, inspections of 82 scam sites, and social media material showing guards in company uniforms. Researchers connected the illegal operations to five private security businesses with political connections. The network of scam operations relies heavily on security personnel who control exits and enforce discipline through violence. Without these protective barriers, the system of mass exploitation would fail. The United Nations reports that hundreds of thousands of individuals have been lured into Southeast Asian nations under the guise of legitimate office employment, only to be forced into digital fraud schemes. These operations frequently involve romance scams, commonly known as pig butchering, where victims are manipulated into losing significant sums of money. The report specifically highlights a firm named Leap Somnang, which reportedly operated across eight provinces and fifteen compounds. Investigators linked the company to Ban Sophat, an armed forces colonel who allegedly served as its chair while denying any formal management role. While Cambodia initiated a major crackdown on scam operations and claims to have shut down numerous centers, Amnesty argues that the underlying infrastructure of impunity remains intact. In response to the findings, the Cambodian interior ministry reported disciplinary actions against dozens of police officers, the prosecution of several private guards, and the detention of various officials for alleged collusion with criminal groups. Authorities emphasized a strict policy against transnational criminal networks operating within the country.