Cambodia will deport 119 Thai nationals to Thailand, after a crackdown on scam call centres in Poipet border town, opposite Aranyaprathet district of Thailand’s Sa Kaeo province.
According to the Cambodian national police, the Thais are among 230 foreigners taken into custody, after Cambodian police cleared a number of buildings in Poipet, from where scam centres were operating.
The Cambodian police claim that most of the Thais, including 61 men and 58 women, admitted that they willingly crossed into Poipet to work with the scammers, because of the attractive pay, and that they were not forced to work and have never been assaulted by their managers or overseers.
Pol Gen Thatchai Pitaneelaboot, the police inspector-general, will fly to Aranyaprathet to receive the 119 Thais from Cambodian officials.
He said that they will be subjected to national referral mechanism (NRM) procedures, to determine their status as victims or scammers.
Meanwhile, it is reported that several large new buildings have and are being constructed in O-Samet town in Oddar Meanchey province of Cambodia, prompting speculation that the town, opposite Chong Chom Pass in Surin province, may be a new home for Chinese-run scam centres after the crackdown in Myanmar.
Observers point out that are no natural tourist attractions, except for two casinos. They said it is very likely that the construction projects are linked to scamming activities and casinos.
It is estimated that there are currently about 4,000 foreigners, including Thais, Chinese, Indians, Vietnamese and Indonesians, living and working in O-Samet.
