Cambodian interior minister says casinos in Bavet employing hundreds of illegal workers

Sar Kheng claims that only 470 out of 3,800 foreign workers are employed legally.

Cambodia.- The Cambodian interior minister Sar Kheng has claimed that many casinos in Bavet city, in the province of Svay Rieng, are employing foreign workers illegally. In a post on Facebook, he claimed that only 470 out of 3,800 foreign workers are registered with the others working without permits.

Kheng said he will work together with the ministry of labour and vocational training to inspect foreign workers and check if they have work permits.

Ith Samheng, the labour minister, noted that the total number of foreigners with work permits had increased from 400 in 2013 to 207,886 in 2019, falling to 181,653 in 2022. He said the ministry collected about $22.8m from work permit issuances, $6m from work visas and about $760,000 in fines from foreigners working illegally.

The ministry’s new joint action plan aims to combat human, labour and sex trafficking as well as crimes related to illegal gambling, cyber fraud, drug trafficking and money laundering.

The inter-ministerial commission for promoting the inspection of foreign labourers has launched a six-month operation from January to June 2023, divided into two parts. Employers of foreign labour, including casinos and clubs, will be required to provide the authorities with reports on the number of workers they employ. Then, authorities will visit and inspect all companies that employ foreign labour. A fine may be applied if authorities discover companies are hiding information about foreign workers.

Cambodia has seen many cases of human trafficking linked to gambling in recent years. Last November, the country strengthened ties with China to combat human trafficking, illegal online gambling and telecommunications scams.

Cambodia’s national authorities also called on provincial governments to tighten controls over the gaming industry and Ros Phearun, secretary general of the Cambodian Gambling Management Committee of the Ministry of Economy and Finance, urged authorities to shut illegal gambling in cafes and shops.