Phnom Penh, March 13 – The Cambodian government approved a draft law on combating online scams on Friday, which will impose severe penalties on masterminds, a minister said.
The approval was made during a weekly Cabinet meeting, said Cambodia's Information Minister Neth Pheaktra.
"This law is the most important legal instrument for Cambodia in combating online scams, fighting money laundering, and demonstrating that Cambodia is not a paradise or a safe haven for criminals," he told Xinhua news agency. "Cambodia is not, and will never be, a safe haven for online scam criminals."
Pheaktra said this bill will help prevent and eliminate online scams from Cambodian territory. Under the draft, the leaders of online scam centers will face between five and 10 years in prison and a fine of up to 1 billion riels (about 250,000 US dollars), and they will face between 10 and 20 years in jail and a fine of up to 2 billion riels (about 500,000 dollars) if their operations are found to involve violence, torture, illegal confinement, human trafficking, or forced labour.
Online scam bosses will face between 15 and 30 years or life imprisonment if their operations lead to one or many deaths, the draft law said, adding that online scammers will be imprisoned between two and five years with a fine of up to 500 million riels (about 125,000 dollars).
The draft bill will need to be adopted by the National Assembly and finally reviewed by the Senate before being submitted to King Norodom Sihamoni for promulgation.
The Southeast Asian country has launched an unprecedented nationwide crackdown on cyber scam networks to maintain social security, safety, and public order, and to restore the kingdom's image on the international stage, with authorities vowing to eradicate online scam centers by April this year.
Interior Minister Sar Sokha said that Cambodia has deported more than 30,000 suspected foreign scammers, as over 210,000 others have voluntarily left the kingdom after operations against online scams have intensified since June last year.