Cambodian Defense Minister General Deban and Thailand's First Deputy Prime Minister jointly pledged to combat VoIP fraud, which has been a hot issue in these two Southeast Asian countries in recent years, as well as other cross-border crimes.

According to the Bangkok Post, quoting General Kongcheep Tantravanich, a spokesperson for General Bavaria, the leaders of the two countries agreed to strengthen military contacts and cooperation to combat transnational criminal groups, especially call center fraudsters who lure Thai citizens to work illegally in Cambodia.

The modus operandi of this crime include fraudsters luring victims to Cambodia with lucrative job opportunities, just to force them to participate in VoIP fraud. It usually involves extortion or even abuse.

Master Gen Tantravanich of Tant Ravanich added that during the meeting, General Bawi expressed appreciation for the efforts of the Cambodian government authorities to combat VoIP fraud and requested that they continue to "help find Thai people who were lured by such call center scammers and send them back to Thailand".

Last Friday, Cambodian Defense Minister General Deban (left) and Thailand's First Deputy Prime Minister, General Bawi, signed a memorandum of understanding on military cooperation in Bangkok

The two sides also agreed on several other ways of cooperation, including mine clearance and elevating the fight against drug trafficking to a new level.

The VoIP fraud in Cambodia has attracted global attention in the past few years, with many cases reported, especially in Sihanouk City, where there has been a significant influx of Chinese investment in the past.

In July, according to the 2022 Human Trafficking Report released by the US Embassy in Cambodia, Cambodia was downgraded from second level to third level on the US human trafficking blacklist. The report also stated that the Cambodian government has not fully met the minimum standards for human trafficking. No significant efforts have been made to eliminate human trafficking.

To this end, the Ministry of the Interior has increased its efforts to combat human trafficking in West Hong Kong, achieving significant results, and many people have been arrested.

However, according to Interior Minister Sa Qing, criminals who managed to escape the suppression of Sihanouk town have shifted their activities to provinces along the Cambodian Thai border, especially the Thmor Da Special Economic Zone in the Lesser Weirong District of Bodhisattva Province.

The authorities in Thmor Da must now start cracking down on them to prevent this area from becoming like Sihanouk City... "Kheng said in a public event last week.

Strong cooperation among stakeholders is needed to address this issue, "he added.

Source: FX110