Cambodia's scam crackdown becomes tool of elite control after Thai strikes
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Cambodia’s ruling elite is using the country’s sweeping crackdown on scam compounds to consolidate political control, a shift accelerated by the border conflict with Thailand. Thai airstrikes destroyed the Me Teuk Bridge in Pursat province on Dec. 13, 2025, and struck a Choam casino complex on Dec. 27, 2025, hours before a ceasefire. Thailand began bombing scam hubs in Cambodia in mid-2025, calling it a 'war against scammers.'
Key Facts
- Thai F-16 airstrike destroyed the Me Teuk Bridge in Pursat province on Dec. 13, 2025.
- Cambodia's scam compounds held an estimated hundreds of thousands of trafficked people forced into criminal labor.
- Thailand began bombing scam hubs on Cambodian soil in mid-2025, declaring the conflict partly a 'war against scammers.'
- On Dec. 27, 2025, Thai forces attacked a Choam casino complex hours before a negotiated ceasefire was to take effect.
- Paul, a 50-year-old Nigerian national, was trafficked into forced scam labor after applying for an admin job in Vietnam.
Thailand's Border Offensive
Thai forces began striking scam compounds in Cambodia in mid-2025, a campaign they described as partly a war on scam networks. A Thai F-16 airstrike destroyed the Me Teuk Bridge, the primary route into Thmor Da, on Dec. 13, 2025. The destroyed bridge was seen on Aug. 6, 2026. Cambodia's border with Thailand at Choam had been closed since June 2025, just before fighting broke out. On Dec. 27, 2025, Thai forces struck Choam hours before a ceasefire that had been negotiated between the two sides was set to take effect.
Trafficking in Scam Compounds
Cambodia’s scam and illegal gambling industry held an estimated hundreds of thousands of trafficked people forced into criminal labor. Paul, a 50-year-old Nigerian national, was sold to a criminal group running online scams after applying for an admin job in Vietnam. He was beaten and tortured into compliance and moved among compounds as bosses evaded raids. In Choam, scam bosses hung Chinese flags from windows to signal to Thai surveillance that buildings were not Cambodian-controlled. Paul said the main hotel-casino was hit repeatedly and many people died there.
Crackdown as Political Control
War with Thailand pushed Cambodia to enact a sweeping scam crackdown. The ruling elite is leveraging the same crackdown to consolidate its political control. Both Cambodia and Thailand have weaponized targeting scam industry infrastructure under the guise of combatting crime since mid-2025.
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Cambodia's scam crackdown becomes tool of elite control after Thai strikes
