Cambodia: From Scam Empire to Security State
War with Thailand pushed Cambodia to enact a sweeping scam crackdown. Now the ruling elite is leveraging the same crackdown to consolidate its political control.
On the morning of December 27, 2025, former English teacher Paul, a 50-year-old Nigerian national, survived a Thai military attack on the Cambodian scam compound Choam with little more than a concrete drain for shelter. The Thai military launched the attack, claiming it was to combat a global security threat, while Cambodia accused Thailand of illegally invading its territory.
The border dispute between the two nations had escalated into a full-blown war, with both sides targeting and capturing scam industry infrastructure to combat crime. Cambodia, under pressure from the United States and China, swiftly changed its stance and launched a comprehensive crackdown on domestic scam compounds, seizing control of billions of dollars' worth of real estate built and funded by criminal investors.
The crackdown has resulted in the conversion of scam compounds into state property, with the government now claiming that 300,000 scammers have been driven out of the country. Cambodia's ruling families have leveraged this diplomatic rehabilitation project to boost the country's military might, seize real estate, and consolidate authoritarian control, with key players such as Chen Zhi, Hun Sen, Sar Kheng, and Sar Sokha being implicated.
Written by urgent.news from The Diplomat's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
