The Mondulkiri provincial court charged four people in what appears to be the first use of the law on combatting online scams after a raid in the provincial capital.
Following a raid on a business called “Mondulkiri Chinese Commercial Building” on April 10, authorities detained four people they suspected of managing the scam business. The Mondulkiri court prosecutor identified these people as Chen Binglian, a Chinese national and general manager; Cheng Weng Chong, a Chinese national who managed Indian and Pakistani teams; Hsu Daril, a Myanmar national managing Myanmar teams; and Sittichai Saelee, a Thai national who managed Thai teams.
The four people were charged with organizing or managing an online fraud center under article 5, paragraph 3, point 1 of the law on combatting online scams, the first charge announced publicly under the law that was passed earlier this month. Persons charged on this count face up to 10 years in prison and 1 billion riels (almost US$250,000) in fines, according to a translation of the draft law reviewed by Mekong Independent.
An unnamed spokesman for the Mondulkiri court prosecutor wrote in a statement dated April 19 that he had charged the four after reviewing a report filed two days earlier by the Mondulkiri provincial police, which investigated after the April 10 raid. Government news agency AKP reported that the raid was initiated after authorities received a request from the Indian Embassy in Phnom Penh to look for Indian nationals in the location. Authorities found 262 foreigners of nine nationalities in the complex and confiscated 420 desktop computers and 1,450 mobile phones.
“The online scam above targets Thailand, disguising itself as selling goods online, [and] disguising itself as US crypto investment,” the court prosecutor’s statement said. “In the above online scam, there are three accomplices who have escaped who organized an online scam center targeting Vietnamese, Indians, Thais and U.S. [nationals].”
The prosecutor’s statement said authorities were still looking for the three, who had been charged in absentia.
According to AKP, several Thai nationals reportedly told authorities that they had been trafficked illegally across the border at Banteay Meanchey province and promised salaries of 20,000 to 40,000 Thai baht (US$625 to $1,250) per month. Another Thai worker said they had been moved from work in Bavet city to the Mondulkiri compound in February this year.
The owner of the building reportedly went missing, and was wanted by authorities for evading the law, AKP said.
Past Mondulkiri raids
Reporters have found a number of raids on alleged compounds in Mondulkiri province, dating back to 2020.
A complex in Mondulkiri’s Dak Dam commune called Mondulkiri Vegetable & Fruit Wholesale Market, was raided in July for alleged online scam operations, according to local news reports, with authorities finding 149 workers — 35 of whom were Cambodian nationals and the rest foreigners.
“You were only tortured when you disobeyed or failed to reach the set target. This was really disturbing since you had to put in more effort to do something that’s against your will.”
– Read Ama’s story about her experiences after leaving a scam operation in Cambodia’s Mondulkiri province
Escaped workers who shared their stories with Mekong Independent, however, said that they had participated in scam operations from the Dak Dam compound from November through January this year, implying that scam operations continued or resumed after the July 2025 raid.
Dak Dam commune chief Chas Na told Mekong Independent that the land had been owned by Yim Leak, tycoon and director of BIC Bank who has been accused by Thailand of operating a money laundering network.
A reporter tried to reach Yim Leak via a phone number listed for his companies in the Commerce Ministry, but no one answered.
“He [Yim Leak] might have rented to them,” Chas Na said, indicating the defunct scam operation. “But now there has been nobody in there, and there are only authorities who are stationed in the building.”
Chas Na said he wasn’t fully sure what kind of business had operated in the 100 hectares of land in the Mondulkiri hills, but he said lately it’s been more quiet than in the past.
“I do not know clearly because they do not allow [us local authorities] to go inside.”
“The supervisors escaped, leaving us behind.”
– Read Eric’s story, about traveling from Mondulkiri province to Phnom Penh in an attempt to return to Uganda after working in a scam company
Authorities previously raided another location in Sen Monorom city called Mondulkiri Hotel back in 2020, arresting 22 Chinese nationals who reportedly had entered Cambodia illegally. According to a Fresh News article from that time, they confiscated 120 Metfone SIM cards, more than 100 cell phones and dozens of computers and computer parts.
Mondulkiri Hotel was again raided in March 2025, and the scam victims’ advocacy NGO Global Anti-Scam Organization reported that they had spoken to victims who had been stuck in the hotel.
Another Sen Monorom city hotel called Mekong 74 was also raided in March 2025, with 258 foreigners arrested, according to Fresh News.
Then at the end of last year, authorities worked with South Korean officials to rescue 30 South Korean nationals who were detained and forced to work in TG Genting Casino in southern Mondulkiri province.
“I did not have that kind of money, but I believed in the opportunity so much that I sold all my belongings and even borrowed money from others just to raise the amount. I was determined to change my life.”
– Read Matovu’s story, about how he attempted to pursue an ambitious IT job but ended up in a scam operation in Mondulkiri province