Cambodia's Security State: From Scam Empire to Authoritarian Control

The conflict between Cambodia and Thailand has been ongoing for decades, but a recent escalation has brought the issue of online scams to the forefront. Paul, a 50-year-old Nigerian national, was forced into compliance and trafficked into a scam compound in Cambodia after being sold to a criminal group. He was confined to a compound in Choam, a tiny jungle outpost, where he witnessed the Thai military's attack on the compound.

The Thai military has been targeting scam compounds on Cambodian soil, framing it as an effort to combat a global security threat. However, Cambodia initially accused Thailand of exaggerating the scale of the problem as a pretext for illegal incursions into its territory. The government has since changed direction, launching a comprehensive crackdown on domestic scam compounds.

## Cambodia's Crackdown on Online Scams

Cambodian officials claim that their crackdown has driven 300,000 scammers out of the country and seen over 250 compounds closed. However, this represents a staggering transfer of private assets into the hands of an increasingly autocratic government dominated by a clique of political dynasties. The government has seized billions of dollars' worth of real estate built and funded by criminal investors, including #8 Park and Golden Fortune Science & Technology Park.

| Compound | Location | Status | | --- | --- | --- | | #8 Park | Choam | Seized by the government | | Golden Fortune Science & Technology Park | Choam | Seized by the government | | Mango 2 Park | Unknown | Converted into an immigration detention center | | Jinbei Casino | Unknown | Targeted in the scam crackdown |

## The Rise of Authoritarian Control

Cambodia's ruling families have turned the scam crackdown to their advantage, leveraging this diplomatic rehabilitation project to boost their military might and consolidate authoritarian control. The government has appointed a personal adviser to Prime Minister Hun Manet, who has ties to the scam compounds that have now been seized. The Interior Ministry has also taken control of several scam compounds, transforming them into prisons and immigration detention centers.

| Prison | Location | Capacity | | --- | --- | --- | | #8 Park | Choam | Unknown | | Mango 2 Park | Unknown | Unknown | | Immigration Detention Center | Unknown | Unknown |

## The Growing Prison Population

Cambodia's prison population has tripled over the past decade, pushing the system to more than 400 percent of its capacity. The spike in the prison population has been driven largely by sweeping arrests for minor drug offenses, but the past few years have seen draconian censorship laws increasingly target political opponents, environmental activists, protesters, and even social media users for simply resharing posts critical of government policy or its handling of the war with Thailand.

There are concerns that this growing prison population is providing a literally captive workforce for a renewed war effort. Since May, the government has been transferring nearly 800 juvenile offenders to prisons along the Thai border as part of a "vocational" program to assist military operations. The government claims that participants will not serve in combat roles, but are deployed in engineering and construction supporting the military in parts of Pursat province close to the occupied scam town of Thmor Da, and in Oddar Meanchey province, home to scam compound-heavy flashpoints like Choam and the border town of O'Smach.