Amnesty International said Thursday that serving members of Cambodia’s Royal Cambodian Armed Forces and Cambodian National Police were linked to at least 22 of 86 scam compounds, where trafficked workers described confinement and abuse.
The links spanned 10 provinces from December 2021 through June 2026. Amnesty described personnel serving as guards, company directors, recruiters and trainers. It said active military personnel trained or led guards at three compounds. The evidence does not establish a formal policy by either institution, Amnesty said.
Amnesty linked five private security firms to services at at least 23 compounds: Leap Somnang Security, Security Response, ZD Security, Dara Security (DAS) and Best Security. It connected Leap Somnang to at least 15 sites. The report says guards monitored workers, controlled access and, in some cases, participated in beatings and electric shocks.
The findings draw on interviews with 151 survivors conducted from January 2023 through September 2026, records concerning more than 400 additional victims and visits to 82 compounds. Researchers also reviewed more than 25,000 videos and photos from 222 social-media accounts.
At Park 8, also known as PV01, survivors told Amnesty that guards helped restrict workers’ movements and waited outside rooms while managers raped women. One survivor described being chained above basins of water, beaten and shocked with an electric baton.
Some named parties disputed the findings. Amnesty identified Ban Sophat, a colonel in the Royal Cambodian Armed Forces, as someone who controlled Leap Somnang. He denied holding an ownership, director or management role and said he had served as an adviser. Security Response denied the allegations; Best Security said it had no record of providing services at the BA06 compound.
In a letter Amnesty said it received Oct. 15, Cambodia’s Ministry of Interior reported that authorities investigated and cracked down on 832 online scam sites between July 1, 2025, and Aug. 31, 2026. It said 3,477 suspects, including 491 Cambodian nationals, and 446 case files were sent to court. The ministry also reported disciplining 77 police officers; its Anti-Corruption Unit detained 17 police, military and civil officials and filed four cases related to collusion with criminal groups. Amnesty said the response did not identify investigations into the companies or networks in its report, and that it was unaware of such probes.
Cambodia’s Ministry of Information has said large-scale scam compounds no longer remain, though activity continues in smaller, dispersed locations. Amnesty called for prompt, independent and adequately resourced investigations into the firms, their owners and managers, and serving personnel credibly suspected of involvement. It also recommended suspending company licenses while credible allegations are investigated and ensuring victims receive remedies.
