103 Thai citizens rescued from gambling ring in Cambodia
Officers in Thailand and Cambodia carried out a joint operation to dismantle an illegal Chinese-run online gambling ring.
Cambodia.- Police in Cambodia have rescued 103 Thai citizens from a Chinese-run online gambling ring. According to a Thai police official responsible for overseeing anti-human trafficking operations, Thai and Cambodian officials cooperated in an operation on Tuesday in the southern Cambodian province of Pursat.
Roy Ingkaroj, deputy national police chief, told Khmer Times: “When Thai officials learned of the incident, we contacted Cambodian security forces in Pursat and the Thai embassy to rescue them. On the morning of Nov. 23, they rescued 103.”
Ingkaroj said organised of the gambling ring were arrested. The operation is the fourth in recent weeks. About 230 workers are said to have been deceived by promises of high-paying jobs provided by Chinese operators. Ingkaroj estimated that nearly 2,000 Thais were trapped in similar situations in Cambodia and police aimed to release them.
He said the online gambling ring had placed job advertisements on social media, promising up to 30,000 baht (US$898) per month to attract workers, who were then smuggled into Cambodia. A few weeks ago it was revealed three Cambodian citizens were held against their will by a human trafficker and forced to work at an illegal casino in Sihanoukville.
In September, China and Cambodia renewed their existing cooperation agreement on cross border gambling. China’s minister of public security and Cambodia’s interior minister agreed to continue tackling cross-border crimes, including illegal online gambling. When the first agreement was signed, in March 2019, Cambodia banned online gambling.
Authorities block 79 illegal online gambling websites
The Telecommunication Regulator of Cambodia has blocked 79 websites for offering illegal online gambling services. The regulator stated it will continue working with the General Commissariat of National Police of the Ministry of the Interior to tackle illegal gambling sites.
