Police raid Chinese extortion racket

Taiwanese and Chinese nationals accused of running an international extortion ring were arrested over the weekend in the capital. Photograph: supplied

Monday, 21 May 2012
Buth Reaksmey Kongkea
The Phnom Penh Post

Another massive crackdown on Taiwanese and Chinese nationals accused of operating a Phnom Penh-based international extortion ring – the third in less than a year – yielded 49 arrests over the weekend, police said yesterday.

Lieutenant General Chhay Sinarith, director of the Internal Security Department at the Ministry of Interior, said the suspects, who were identified to Cambodian authorities by Chinese police, were arrested by his forces in raids on eight different sites in the Chamkarmorn, Tuol Kork and Sen Sok districts of Phnom Penh.

“This was the third time our Cambodian police have cracked down and arrested these Chinese mafia groups in Cambodia,” Chhay Sinarith told the Post. “They were using VoIP [Voice over Internet Protocol, a type of internet phone service] from Cambodia to threaten and extort money from many people in China and Taiwan.”

Authorities arrested nearly 200 suspected mafia members using the same methods of extortion last June, and arrested 60 others earlier this year.

Cambodia Prepares To Deport ‘Mafia’ Suspects

Kong Sothanarith, VOA Khmer
Phnom Penh Friday, 10 June 2011

"The Chinese would be exported “as soon as possible” under immigration laws and “good cooperation” with the Chinese government."

The Cambodian government is prepared to deport 187 Chinese nationals that were swept up in a raid earlier this week.

Officials at the Ministry of Interior said Friday Cambodia was cooperating with China’s Ministry of Public Security to return the group, which it characterized as part of a “mafia.”

In all, about 500 people were arrested in a raid in the the coastal province of Preah Sihanouk, including nationals from Thailand, Taiwan, Malaysia and Indonesia.

The Super-capitalists, the companies, and the (Khmer and foreign) Mafias who are grabbing lands from the Small People of Cambodia

Translated from French by Luc Sâr

Dispossessed people against the Super-Capitalists
By N. Sihanouk

1- Super-capitalists, companies, and (Khmer and foreign) Mafias from “friendly” countries, for sometime now, had led “activities” which resulted in “land grabbings” to the detriment and great hopelessness of our Small People [Ordinary Citizens], and they also brought up the dramatic and sad results of the forced eviction of small owners who were dispossessed of the lands.

Recently, a European Mafia had “proposed” to “invest” in a very precious and historical location where “my” state villa from the Sangkum Reastr Niyum [era] (in Sihanoukville) once stood, [this villa] successively “housed” H.M. King Savang of Laos, President Tito of Yugoslavia, President Sukarno of Indonesia, and other illustrious Heads of State and foreign Government leaders.

To “prevent” the “investment” of this European Mafia cited above, I asked Samdech Kong Som Ol to build with my money, at the location of the former “state villa”, in Sihanoukville, a health center for the People.

2- Very worrisome: An increasing number of humble citizens from the provinces (Koh Kong etc…) and cities (including those within Phnom Penh) are dispossessed of their humble lands (including their homes). These humble and dispossessed citizens dare more and more “demonstrate” against these dispossession acts which they are the victims of. I hope that our respected and beloved Great Leader will have pity on these dispossessed [people] and will render justice for them.

(Signed) Norodom Sihanouk

Beijing, PRC, March 11, 2007, at 10:30 AM