​Cambodia and China step up efforts to combat transnational crime

Cambodia and China have agreed to strengthen their current and future security cooperation, with a focus on identifying and repatriating individuals who commit transnational crimes, while strengthening the capacity of Cambodia’s law enforcement agencies.

The goals of this security cooperation between the two countries were established during an official visit to Beijing from September 5 to 7 by Interior Minister Sar Sokha. During his trip, Sokha met with Chinese State Councilor Wang Xiaohong, Minister of Public Security.

“In the coming years, both sides will focus on security work, tracking down criminals, repatriation, improving practical law enforcement, capacity building and improving the quality and effectiveness of our cooperation,” Sokha shared via social media.

Their collaboration is a continuation of the existing cooperation established in 2019 between the Ministry of the Interior of Cambodia and the Ministry of Public Security of China.

According to the Ministry of the Interior, between 2023 and the first half of 2024, both sides investigated and took action against various cross-border crimes, including cybercrime, human trafficking and drug-related crimes.

Last week, the two ministries signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on the continuation of the joint law enforcement agency.

“Our continuation of the MoU reflects the commitment and dedication of the two governments, and also between the two ministries, to maintain security and public order,” the ministry said.

Sokha praised China’s assistance to Cambodia’s security sector, including the provision of technical equipment and training of personnel, as well as continued support for combating cross-border crimes such as human trafficking and online fraud.

Wang expressed confidence that cooperation between the two ministries will continue to flourish under Cambodia’s new government, with China remaining committed to providing support, including capacity building and material assistance.

On September 6, five suspects involved in a major money laundering operation were repatriated from Cambodia to China as part of “Operation Fox Hunt,” a covert operation by the Chinese government aimed at combating corruption and economic crimes.

China’s Ministry of Public Security said the five suspects had recruited more than 100 people since June 2023, under the pretext of part-time work or special loan offers. The five suspects are accused of committing online fraud. After receiving money, they transferred it through stolen cards and bought foreign currency to launder the money.

The ministry added that the suspects frequently changed their residence in Cambodia to avoid detection. But with the cooperation of the kingdom’s law enforcement, the suspects were arrested in September.

According to China Daily, since the launch of “Operation Fox Hunt” in 2014, more than 9,000 fugitives have been arrested and repatriated from 12 countries, with approximately $6.76 billion in assets recovered.

In August, the Ministry of Public Security stressed that it has strengthened cooperation with law enforcement agencies in other countries to combat transnational crimes against Chinese citizens. This cooperation focuses on online gambling, fraud, overseas kidnapping, murder and organized crime.

In Cambodia, online fraud, human trafficking and kidnapping are frequently reported by the media and foreign embassies, creating fear among potential foreign tourists, despite the fact that there are no official reports of such incidents involving tourists.

Several foreign embassies, including those of India, Malaysia and China, have warned their citizens to be wary of possible recruitment schemes in Cambodia, as their nationals have fallen victim to these schemes but have ultimately been rescued and repatriated.

Pech Pisey, Director of Transparency International Cambodia, said today that tackling online fraud and kidnapping in Cambodia is complicated by weak law enforcement, the large capacity of criminal networks, corruption and a perceived lack of political will.

“The first reason is weak law enforcement. This may be due to the complexity of combating these crimes, as criminals use sophisticated technology to avoid detection by law enforcement and move their activities quickly from one location to another.

“The second problem is corruption, such as the financiers of criminals. Criminals use powerful and well-funded networks in different countries to protect themselves and abuse corrupt systems when they face problems,” he said The Post.

Pisey believed that to eradicate these crimes, strong political will at the highest levels of leadership is needed to systematically address the problem.

“If this is not addressed, Cambodia will struggle to attract investment, especially from Western countries, which are looking for big and ‘clean’ investment opportunities. In addition, it will hit the tourism sector, as most of the current victims are from ASEAN countries, including Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore and Japan, which is a big problem,” he said.