“This law is strict like a fishing net, ​strict to ensure we don’t ⁠have online scams anymore in Cambodia, strict in order to serve the interests of the Cambodian nation and people,” he told reporters. It lays out punishments of two to five years in prison and fines of up to $125,000 for those convicted of online scams. Cambodia has not previously had legislation specifically targeting scams, though suspects have been ​charged with offences like recruitment for exploitation, aggravated fraud and money laundering. On Wednesday Cambodia said it had extradited Li Xiong, a former leader at a Cambodian financial conglomerate accused of laundering money for crime organisations, to China. In January Chinese-Cambodian businessman Chen Zhi was arrested in Cambodia and also extradited ‌to China, marking a ⁠stunning fall for a young tycoon accused of ​running a brutal online scam and money laundering operation.

Source: Bangkok Post April 03, 2026 12:20 UTC