Pakistan and Cambodia agree to repatriate 54 citizens detained in fraudulent raid

The Foreign Office (FO) said on Tuesday that the government and Cambodia had formally agreed to repatriate 54 Pakistani nationals detained in Siem Reap province, following their arrest in a raid on a scam complex.

Reports indicate that more than 200 Pakistani nationals are currently detained in Cambodia. They were reportedly lured through deceptive means and then trafficked into illegal operations run by criminal networks. Following a crackdown by Cambodian authorities, they were arrested and remain detained in difficult conditions.

In a statement posted on his X account, FO spokesperson Tahir Andrabi said the Pakistani Embassy in Cambodia had actively investigated the matter with the Cambodian government.

“This is in line with the instructions of the deputy prime minister/foreign minister to all missions of Pakistan that facilitating the Pakistani community abroad is a top priority,” the statement said.

“Our embassy staff are taking measures to ensure the well-being of the detained Pakistanis,” the statement added, noting that the detainees would leave Cambodia once flight arrangements were finalized.

He further said that as a gesture of goodwill, Cambodian authorities had agreed to repatriate all detainees without legal proceedings against them under the “Fighting Online Scams Law”, which came into effect on April 7 and carries significant prison terms and heavy fines.

A multibillion-dollar scam industry involving thousands of people has expanded in Cambodia in recent years, some voluntarily and others coerced by organized criminal groups, according to experts.

According to Amnesty International, the Cambodian government is deliberately ignoring widespread human rights abuses, including slavery, human trafficking, child labor and torture, carried out by criminal gangs in more than 50 scam complexes in the country.

In its 240-page report last year, Amnesty said it interviewed more than 50 survivors from different countries and identified at least 53 scam compounds in Cambodia.

“Amnesty’s investigation reveals the terrible magnitude of a crisis that Cambodian authorities are not doing enough to stop. Their failures have emboldened a criminal network whose tentacles extend internationally, with millions of people affected by the scams,” the report says.

Last week, the US Treasury Department named Kok An, a Cambodian senator who controls fraud complexes across the country, as well as 28 individuals and entities in his network for defrauding Americans.