This article was initially published by Radio Free Asia and is reprinted with permission.
Nearly 60 foreign workers, predominantly from Nepal and Pakistan, armed with metal rods, broke through security to flee from a northern Cambodian casino complex linked to an online scam operation, according to police reports.
Using rods made from bed frames, the workers managed to escape through a gate located near the Thai border in Oddar Meanchey province around 5 p.m. on Sunday, stated provincial police official Bou Boran.
The workers had endured significant physical abuse at the O’Smach resort, owned by Cambodian businessman Ly Yong Phat, as noted by a local witness to the incident.
“The guards were unable to stop or defend themselves, resulting in injuries to two of them,” the resident said on the condition of anonymity for safety. “They assaulted the security personnel, opened the gate, and rushed out.”
In September, Ly Yong Phat and his LYP Group faced sanctions from the United States due to the company’s alleged connections to human trafficking and forced labor at several casinos in Cambodia, including the O’Smach resort.
Extensive human trafficking operations reportedly affect over 150,000 victims annually in Southeast Asia, primarily in Myanmar and Cambodia.
Individuals often find themselves confined within secured compounds, compelled to work up to 16 hours a day to swindle people via messaging applications or phone calls. Those who fail to achieve their targets are subjected to beatings and torture.
After fleeing from the O-Smach resort, the 57 workers traveled over 5 km (3.2 miles), according to Bou Boran. The police then transported them to the provincial capital, Samroang, where they were interrogated.
The workers did not disclose specific reasons for their escape, merely stating they wished to change their place of employment, Bou Boran mentioned.
“When I inquired about their situation, they expressed a desire to work in Poipet,” he added, referencing another Thai border town approximately 200 km (124 miles) away from O-Smach, which hosts several casinos.
Dy The Hoya, the migration program director at the Center for Alliance of Labor and Human Rights (CENTRAL) based in Phnom Penh, called for an investigation into trafficking and forced labor at the O-Smach resort.
Numerous reports have documented the plight of foreign workers from various nationalities—not just Nepali and Pakistani—being coerced into online scam operations in areas near the Thai border; however, a thorough investigation is still pending, he noted.
“We seek complete transparency and integrity in the process, involving all relevant stakeholders, especially Interpol, given that this constitutes a transnational crime,” he emphasized. “This is not solely a crime occurring in Cambodia. If we fail to address this seriously, the criminals will benefit while our nation’s reputation suffers.”