The latest report from Amnesty International, “I Was Someone Else’s Property,” reveals a harrowing reality: at least 53 scam compounds across Cambodia have become hubs of modern slavery, human trafficking, torture, and forced labor. These compounds, often disguised as legitimate tech parks or business centers, are operated by transnational criminal networks with apparent impunity. Victims – lured by fake job ads – are imprisoned, abused, and coerced into defrauding people worldwide through online scams. The report documents how these operations are enabled by systemic corruption, weak law enforcement, and a lack of political will to dismantle the criminal infrastructure.
Drone footage of a scamming compound in Cambodia with high perimeter walls, security cameras and security guards
While Taiwanese citizens are not the largest group affected, they face unique and severe risks due to their international status. In recent raids, dozens of Taiwanese nationals were arrested, and many were wrongly identified as perpetrators rather than victims of trafficking. Without proper screening procedures, these individuals are often treated as criminals and, in some cases, forcibly extradited to China, where they face prosecution and detention under Beijing’s jurisdiction. Taiwan’s lack of formal diplomatic ties with Cambodia further complicates rescue efforts, leaving victims vulnerable and without recourse.
The situation is further exacerbated by the demographics of the victims. Many are extremely young, including minors, who are deceived by fraudulent job advertisements on social media platforms. These ads promise glamorous lifestyles and high-paying, easy work in Southeast Asia. Upon arrival, however, these individuals are stripped of their documents, confined under armed guard, and subjected to physical and psychological abuse. Surveillance systems, armed guards, and barbed wire fences make escape nearly impossible. The betrayal of their aspirations and the trauma of captivity leave lasting scars that are often overlooked in public discourse.
Amnesty International’s findings underscore the Cambodian government’s failure – and in some cases, complicity – in addressing these crimes. The lack of enforcement and accountability has emboldened criminal syndicates, allowing a billion-dollar shadow economy to flourish. Victims are often denied access to justice, and the absence of transparent investigations perpetuates a cycle of impunity.
Cambodian scam parks are a significant factor in the Thai-Cambodia conflict, serving as both a source of economic tension and a strategic target in the ongoing military clashes. The conflict, which reignited in December 2025 after a brief ceasefire brokered by the Trump administration, has seen Thailand conduct air strikes on at least five Cambodian casinos and resorts, which are widely believed to house scam operations These strikes are viewed by Thai officials and the public as a response to the perception that these facilities are hubs for cross-border online scams, which have generated billions of dollars annually and involved widespread human trafficking, forced labor, and torture of victims from Asia, Africa, and Latin America The Thai military’s targeting of these sites is seen as both a security measure and a political signal to the Thai public, demonstrating action against a major perceived threat
The economic stakes are high, as these scam centers are believed to be linked to powerful Cambodian political elites, including the Hun family, and are a major source of illicit revenue Thailand’s proposed legalization of casinos near the border threatens to undermine this lucrative system by reducing the need for money laundering through Cambodian casinos and cutting into their earnings This economic competition, combined with the political fallout from a leaked phone call between Thailand’s acting Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra and Cambodia’s former Prime Minister Hun Sen, has further inflamed tensions The conflict has also been exacerbated by nationalist sentiments on both sides, with the Thai government using the issue to rally public support and Cambodia’s leadership potentially leveraging the conflict to distract from domestic socio-economic challenges
American Buddhist Net 