Cambodia Hands Over 119 Thais In Scam Crackdown

Bangkok: Cambodia on Saturday said it deported 119 Thais across the two countries' shared border, the latest handover in a regional crackdown on illegal cyberscam centres.

Cambodia's immigration department said in a post on its Facebook page that the Thais -- 61 men and 58 women -- had "snuck in to work and stayed illegally" in the kingdom.

They were among 230 foreigners detained during raids on alleged cyberscam centres in the border city of Poipet on February 22 and 23, it said.

The Thais were deported via Poipet border checkpoint on Saturday, it added.

Cyberscam centres -- which lure foreigners in to work in scam hothouses swindling people with online romance and crypto investment cons -- have proliferated across Southeast Asia in recent years.

Cambodian authorities launched high-profile raids on the illegal compounds in late 2022.

Thailand has in recent weeks been cracking down on the compounds that have sprouted on its border with Myanmar, working to repatriate thousands of alleged scam centre workers, many who claim to be victims of human trafficking.

Saturday's handover comes a day after Thai Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra visited Sa Kaeo, the Thai town neighbouring Poipet, to "eliminate call centre gangs", she said in a post on social media platform X.

The chief of Thailand's Cyber Crime Investigation Bureau Trirong Phiwpan told local media on Saturday that he was aware of Cambodia's announcement and that his team was "prepared to receive" the 119 Thais.

Both Thai and Cambodian authorities said the workers had been paid to commit fraud online and worked voluntarily.

A frontier town known for its casinos, Poipet has become a hub for cyberscam centres and online gambling operations.

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