Articles
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Cambodia scam exodus map, January 2026
A map of scam companies seen raided or emptied during the January crackdown, compiled from social media by Mekong Independent. Blue markers indicates an escape/raid, when we hear reports of it. The list is being updated — if you see others that aren’t listed here, DM us on Facebook! This article is published as Creative
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Barbed wire comes down at Bavet scam-linked compound
Barbed wire has been removed around Crown Casino in Cambodia’s scam-filled border city of Bavet. A recent crackdown on scam workers appears to have hit the New Venetian, Henghe, Yongyuan and other major complexes.
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On a Thai island, tourism rubbish overwhelms indigenous community
On Koh Lipe, tourists outnumber residents during peak season. The Urak Lawoi, who once lived with virtually no waste, now face a daily logistics crisis managing rubbish from hundreds of thousands of annual visitors – all of which must be barged to the mainland.
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Scam exodus reaches remote compounds
Several sprawling scam complexes at Cambodia’s remote border crossings with Vietnam experienced mass exits of workers, raising questions about scattered workers and the industry in general.
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Dunia obtains scam files: Cambodian ring tracked victims’ every ‘annual leave’
Documents obtained by Dunia and Mekong Independent show details about a Korean cyberscam ring that was arrested in Cambodia collected information about their targets.
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After years of progress, Indonesia risks ‘tragedy’ of a deforestation spike
Deforestation is accelerating, underscoring Indonesia’s reputation as a big greenhouse gas emitter and potentially inviting more scrutiny of its commodity exports.
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Two netizens face defamation suit for criticising Deputy PM over alleged link to scam network
Thai Lawyers for Human Rights reported that two netizens face defamation lawsuits for their online comments targeting the Deputy PM and Agriculture Minister Thammanat.
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Foreign workers flee ahead of online scam raids, Sihanoukville locals say
Scam-compound workers in Sihanoukville were last week lugging rolling suitcases across the sand, or pulling pushcarts with boxes, furniture and even one washing machine.
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Journey home to a war-damaged house
Khieu Chhorvy isn’t ready to fix the holes in her roof caused by shell explosions during the Thai-Cambodia conflict. First, she needs to make some money. Then, she wants to be confident that this time the ceasefire will hold.
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Raids across Phnom Penh and surrounding areas disperse scam workers
Cambodian authorities conducted online scam related raids across Phnom Penh and central Cambodia, but local residents say they saw evidence that some workers escaped trouble.
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A Decade of Repression: How Việt Nam Jailed Dissidents, Journalists, and Rights Defenders
The EU-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement did not halt repression, did not reduce abusive laws, and did not protect peaceful civic actors. Instead, it normalized a situation in which economic integration advanced while political imprisonment continued.
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Myanmar’s botanical data gaps risk its unique flora
There are 864 known plant species that are found only in the conflict-torn country, yet critical knowledge gaps remain.
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Prince-linked network hit as chair deported to China
The arrest of the Prince Group’s notorious chairman and liquidation of the conglomerate’s bank have come amid sharpened U.S. pressure and related actions taken across Asia.
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Phnom Penh court closes investigation on Thai exile’s disappearance
The Phnom Penh Municipal Court has closed investigation into the disappearance of Thai activist in exile Wanchalerm Satsaksit, who went missing in June 2020 while living in Cambodia.
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Thailand’s last hunter-gatherers face a vanishing way of life
For centuries, the Maniq hunted with poisoned darts and moved freely through southern Thailand’s forests. Now, fewer than 500 remain, and dwindling wildlife and strict anti-poaching laws are forcing the country’s last hunter-gatherers to abandon their nomadic traditions.
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Waiting out the storm
During evacuations that stretched nearly a month, people in Cambodian displacement camps spoke of worries about their homes near the Thai border and challenges living in pagodas and emptied markets.
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Thais and Cambodians speak out against the war
Underneath the noise of ultra-nationalist sentiment and hate speech, many Thai and Cambodian nationals are calling for an end to the border conflict and frozen relations.
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Cambodia’s border residents wonder where to go next
Civilians from border areas, some fleeing fighting between the Thai and Cambodian militaries two or three times, live out of motorized tractors, tents and the sporadic donations they receive.
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Border casinos targeted in week of shelling, locals say
Border casinos and associated scam-worker accommodations have been targeted by Thai troops, local Cambodian officials said, amid a week of clashes between the two countries.
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Shelling, one dead at scam-linked casino in renewed border clash: local police
Explosions rocked the Thai-Cambodian border Monday, with tens of thousands of civilians evacuated amid renewed fighting at multiple border points.
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Business owners fear loss of funds after NBC dissolves Huione Pay
Business owners who gathered outside the National Bank headquarters said they had tens of thousands of dollars in accounts with Huione, and some were worried their investments were lost forever.
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Myanmar migrants pay for passports they fear they can’t use
Passports issued to Myanmar migrant workers in Thailand now carry an unusual stamp: “For Thailand Only.” But the restriction may have no legal weight at international borders.
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Karen community fighting corn and coal for clean air in northern Thailand
Northern Thailand is trapped in a cycle of air pollution driven by maize cultivation for the animal feed industry, with field burning each year choking the region in hazardous haze.
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Memories of Phnom Penh crowd crush refuse to fade for some
During Water Festival 15 years ago, more than 350 people died on a Phnom Penh bridge in one of the deadliest crowd-crush cases in recent history. Families and onlookers then and now spoke of ghosts, gangs and electric shocks to try to make sense of the tragedy.
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Wave of Cambodian casinos suspended after Prince sanctions
Cambodia’s gambling regulator suspended casino licenses, including some businesses connected to U.S. and U.K. sanctions, to investigate scams and other violations.