Hundreds of people fled suspected scam compounds in Sihanoukville — a coastal Cambodian city linked to cyberfraud — after the arrest and deportation to China of accused scam boss Chen Zhi, according to AFP.

AFP reported that people left sites including Amber Casino, hauling suitcases, computer monitors, pets and furniture, and boarding tuk-tuks, SUVs and tourist coaches. One Chinese man told AFP: “Cambodia is in upheaval. Nowhere is safe to work anymore.”

Sihanoukville, described by AFP as a casino-filled resort with unfinished high-rises, has become a Cambodia scam city hotspot where thousands are believed to operate cons from fortified compounds.

Crackdown Claims, Rights Concerns and Alleged “Theatre”

Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet said on Facebook he aimed to “eliminate… all the problems related to the crime of cyber scams,” AFP reported.

Cambodia’s anti-scam commission said it raided 118 locations and arrested around 5,000 people in the past six months, according to AFP. After Chen’s deportation, the government also ordered Prince Bank into liquidation and froze home sales at several luxury properties linked to Prince Group affiliates, AFP said.

However, residents told AFP that some workers moved out days before authorities arrived. Mark Taylor, a former head of a Cambodia-based anti-trafficking NGO, told AFP the shifts appeared “seemingly the product of collusion” and called it “anti-crime theatre”.

Amnesty International has accused the Cambodian government of “deliberately ignoring” abuses by cybercrime gangs, AFP reported. A 2025 Amnesty International report identified 22 scam locations in Sihanoukville, out of 53 in Cambodia.

Government Response and Reactions

The Cambodian government says it is intensifying enforcement through raids and arrests, and Hun Manet has publicly pledged action, according to AFP. Amnesty International disputes the state’s approach and alleges deliberate inaction on abuses. AFP did not report a response from Prince Group to the allegations referenced.