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Cambodia’s modern slavery nightmare: the human trafficking crisis overlooked by authorities
Cambodia’s modern slavery nightmare: the human trafficking crisis overlooked by authorities
Op-Ed: The Guardians
Despite promises by government to eradicate trafficking rings, people are still being sold in Cambodia and forced to run online scams
Lindsey Kennedy, Nathan Paul Southern and Huang Yan, Wed 2 Nov 2022 23.59 GMT
Sihanoukville, Cambodia, and made his way to the second floor, where his friend, another victim of trafficking, was waiting. The two had hatched a desperate plan to escape the modern slavery nightmare they’d been in since Xu was sold to an online scam company in the same building three months earlier, believing a well-paid data entry job awaited him.
They jumped from the balcony onto the first floor of the building next door, hoping to climb down to the ground and run. But Xu landed badly, injuring his spine.
“It was so painful and I couldn’t stand up. My friend ran away and left me when he saw I was injured,” he says. “The managers thought I’d die so they didn’t take me back into the building, they just stood watching and laughing at me.”
Xu crawled to a road, where a Cambodian tuk-tuk driver found him and drove him to a hospital, which then transferred him to the capital, Phnom Penh. A doctor there suggested he call Chen Baorong, the Chinese founder of a volunteer organisation dedicated to rescuing people like Xu who had been duped into travelling to Cambodia’s crime-ridden casino towns with the promise of work, only to find themselves trafficked into forced labour, scamming strangers online.
Chen came at once. But before he could help Xu find a way home to China, he was arrested.Chen’s work was said to have enraged a local governor, who was quoted by local media as saying that Chen had caused “headaches”. In a closed trial in August, Chen was sentenced to two years in jail for incitement and interference with state procedures.
Eventually, Xu found his way back to China and was reunited with his family. He is undergoing spinal surgery following the injuries he received in his escape. The compound he was sold to for $7,500, Galaxy World, has now been shut down by authorities.
“Although they might not be able to catch the big boss behind it, they were able to catch some bad people and clean up the criminal activities in the compound, so this is good news,” he says.Advertisement
Over the past 18 months casinos, dormitory blocks, luxury hotels and remote office complexes across Cambodia and the wider region – many linked to powerful political figures – have become host to criminal operations running crypto, investment, and gaming scams. People from all over the world are lured by the promise of work, then forced to defraud strangers with threats of beatings, torture, and electrocution should they not comply. Initial calls for help triggered a handful of rescues, but as time went on, Cambodian authorities began dismissing reports of trafficking and detention as labour disputes.
The World Justice Project ranks Cambodia among the worst in the world for rule of law. Analysts say that highlighting the trafficking crisis both embarrasses the government and threatens to disrupt income streams for corrupt officials. According to survivors and family members, detainees who contact authorities often disappear or face reprisals, while some who escape and go to the police are returned to their captors. Xu, who was smuggled overland from China into Vietnam and then into Cambodia through the borderland casino town of Bavet, says Cambodian police on motorbikes picked him up from the border.
“The main obstacle is that many of the Chinese that run human trafficking and scam rings in Cambodia have a lot of influence,” says Ekapop Lueangprasert, a Bangkok volunteer whose network rescues and repatriates Thai victims. “If the local Cambodian authorities hear anything about a raid from their Thai counterparts, they inform the gangs, who move the victims and confiscate their phones. Sometimes when there are raids, the rescuers find the location empty.”
The Cambodian government has acknowledged the problem, vowing to eradicate trafficking rings by the end of October. The crackdown follows mounting pressure from local media, embassies and charities. The US Treasury’s downgrade of Cambodia to “Tier 3” – the lowest rating – in its 2022 Trafficking in Persons report, put the country at risk of sanctions and reduced foreign assistance. A five-day-long raid on one business park housing illegal online gambling sites seized nearly 10,000 phones and computers, a cache of handcuffs, guns, and tasers, and led to 495 arrests.
The ones that are ringed with barbed wire fences and CCTV cameras are so clearly prisons to hold human trafficking victims
But no charges have been brought against high-level figures. Cambodian police claim several notorious sites were already abandoned or showed no evidence of crime. Meanwhile, it’s unclear whether people removed from trafficking compounds have just been moved elsewhere. On 24 October, VOD English reported that some Thai and Taiwanese victims had been transported overland to Laos and Myanmar, where large-scale scam sites are a major problem. Others may have been relocated inside Cambodia.
“The Cambodian government feels like they gain very little from these [trafficking] activities… so they will either crack down or move these gangs into more legitimate casinos where they can collect taxes and revenue from them,” says Ekapop.
While the new policy is an improvement, he says parts of Cambodia’s border are littered with compounds yet to be shut down. “You can tell by looking at the buildings. The ones that are ringed with barbed wire fences and CCTV cameras are so clearly prisons to hold human trafficking victims … I think if the Cambodian government was serious about cracking down on human trafficking it wouldn’t be too hard.”
Attempts by the authors reach out to Cambodian police and government spokespeople went unanswered.
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Recipes towards democratic unification
Recipes towards democratic unification
Seeing the election results declared by NEC triggered our assumption since the beginning that from preliminary result to final one shall not produce any differences especially for the opposition parties. There are allocating seats to parties but complaint resolution, its processes and acceptable investigated results are not transparently resolved. The results are likely a filter from NEC’s poor performance on neutrality, professionalism; from systemic threats by national and local authorities, voters list manipulations, and ballot casting-counting disenfranchisement intent etc.
Moving forward, democratic forces are actually co-existing in every spectrum of Cambodian society, and they are eager to join with a reliable and confident force.
The pragmatists: Cambodia has encountered youth-bulk force as over 65% of the total population are young tech-savvy driving-force accumulating critical thinking, principle-oriented citizens, free of PTSD and past trauma syndrome, and democratic mindset; they are not supportive to political rhetoric of “thank you peace”, “physical infrastructure without having proper soft skills development”, “personality-centric leadership”, and “regarding Cambodian political dissents as treasons, revolutionary or colouring their own race to different society classes”.
The distractors: they are both planned and unplanned distractors among democratic movements. The severe planned distractors are a divide and conquer tactic maneuvered by the ruling party chief who has used all types of resources regardless of private or national wealth to infuse chronic division among people in the society especially among the opposition parties. The unplanned distractors are those gullible people and the corrupt-mindset citizens.
The democratic alliance sympathizers: Cambodia has accumulated democratic mindset and democratic dynamics since the liberation from France protectorate and this force was solidly empowered by the United Nations in 1993. This upcoming national election 2023 is an interesting election after the dissolution of CNRP in 2017 and the continuing cracking down of political dissents. The divide and conquer tactic could be applied only to old head citizens, but with current modern tech-savvy and cross-border young populations, the worst ramifications shall be boomeranged to the tactic user.
Thank you to those unrelentless standing-up individuals towards democratic values and social injustice, those democratic patrons behind the scene, those vigilant and resilient in the front-line, and those who are jailed unjustly while their spirits are high up above jailers’ machine and perpetrators mindset.
Sophoan Seng
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មន្ត្រីរូបនេះបាននិយាយថា ទីក្រុងប៉េកាំងកំពុងប្រមូលទុននៅក្នុងតំបន់ថា “គ្មានឆន្ទៈឬមិនអាចប្រកួតប្រជែងផលប្រយោជន៍ស្នូលរបស់ចិន” ហើយតាមរយៈការរួមបញ្ចូលគ្នានៃការបង្ខិតបង្ខំ ការដាក់ទណ្ឌកម្ម និងការជំរុញនៅក្នុងវិស័យការទូត សេដ្ឋកិច្ច និងយោធា ជឿជាក់ថា វាអាចធ្វើអោយប្រទេសនានាងាកទៅរកផលប្រយោជន៍របស់ខ្លួន។ មន្ត្រីរូបនោះបាននិយាយថា៖ «ជាសំខាន់ ចិនចង់ក្លាយជាអ្នកមានអំណាចខ្លាំងដែលអាចធ្វើអោយតំបន់នេះចុះចាញ់ការដឹកនាំរបស់ចិន ជាជាងប្រឈមនឹងផលវិបាក [មិនធ្វើដូច្នេះ]»។
កាសែត Wall Street Journal បានរាយការណ៍នៅឆ្នាំ 2019 ថា ប្រទេសចិនបានចុះហត្ថលេខាលើកិច្ចព្រមព្រៀងសម្ងាត់មួយដើម្បីអនុញ្ញាតឱ្យយោធារបស់ខ្លួនប្រើប្រាស់មូលដ្ឋាននេះ ដោយនេះជាការលើកឡើងពីមន្ត្រីសហរដ្ឋអាមេរិក និងសម្ព័ន្ធមិត្តដែលដឹងពីបញ្ហានេះ។ ទីក្រុងប៉េកាំង និងទីក្រុងភ្នំពេញបានបដិសេធរបាយការណ៍នេះ ដោយលោកនាយករដ្ឋមន្ត្រី ហ៊ុន សែន បានថ្កោលទោសថាវាជាព័ត៌មានក្លែងក្លាយ។ អ្នកនាំពាក្យក្រសួងការពារជាតិចិននៅពេលនោះក៏បានបរិហារនូវអ្វីដែលគេហៅថា “ពាក្យចចាមអារ៉ាម” ហើយបាននិយាយថា ប្រទេសចិនគ្រាន់តែបានជួយដល់ការហ្វឹកហ្វឺនយោធា និងឧបករណ៍ដឹកជញ្ជូនប៉ុណ្ណោះ។
យ៉ាងណាក៏ដោយ កាលពីចុងសប្តាហ៍ មន្ត្រីចិននៅទីក្រុងប៉េកាំងបានបញ្ជាក់ប្រាប់កាសែត Washington Post ថា “ផ្នែកនៃមូលដ្ឋានទ័ព” នឹងត្រូវប្រើដោយ “យោធាចិន”។ មន្ត្រីរូបនេះបានបដិសេធថា វាមិនមែនសម្រាប់ការប្រើប្រាស់ផ្តាច់មុខដោយយោធា ដោយនិយាយថាអ្នកវិទ្យាសាស្ត្រក៏នឹងប្រើកន្លែងនេះដែរ។ មន្ត្រីរូបនេះបានបន្ថែមថា ជនជាតិចិនមិនជាប់ពាក់ព័ន្ធនឹងសកម្មភាពណាមួយនៅលើមូលដ្ឋានកម្ពុជាឡើយ។
មន្ត្រីរូបនេះបាននិយាយថាការបើកការដ្ឋានសាងសង់ដែលគ្រោងធ្វើនៅថ្ងៃព្រហស្បតិ៍កំពុងប្រព្រឹត្តទៅ ហើយមន្ត្រីចិននឹងចូលរួម។ ឯកអគ្គរដ្ឋទូតចិនប្រចាំនៅកម្ពុជា ត្រូវបានគេរំពឹងថានឹងមានវត្តមាន។
នៅពេលសុំការអត្ថាធិប្បាយ ស្ថានទូតកម្ពុជាប្រចាំទីក្រុងវ៉ាស៊ីនតោនបាននិយាយនៅក្នុងសេចក្តីថ្លែងការណ៍មួយថា ខ្លួន«មិនយល់ស្របជាខ្លាំងចំពោះខ្លឹមសារ និងអត្ថន័យនៃរបាយការណ៍នេះ ដោយសារវាជាការចោទប្រកាន់គ្មានមូលដ្ឋានដែលជំរុញឱ្យប៉ះពាល់ដល់មុខមាត់កម្ពុជាជាអវិជ្ជមាន»។ ទូតនេះបានបន្ថែមថា កម្ពុជា “ប្រកាន់ខ្ជាប់” យ៉ាងម៉ឺងម៉ាត់ទៅនឹងរដ្ឋធម្មនុញ្ញរបស់ប្រទេសនេះ ដែលមិនអនុញ្ញាតឱ្យមានមូលដ្ឋានទ័ពបរទេស ឬវត្តមានទ័ពនៅលើទឹកដីកម្ពុជា។ សេចក្តីថ្លែងការណ៍បាននិយាយថា “ការជួសជុលមូលដ្ឋានគឺបម្រើតែមួយគត់ដើម្បីពង្រឹងសមត្ថភាពកងទ័ពជើងទឹកកម្ពុជា ដើម្បីការពារបូរណភាពដែនសមុទ្រ និងប្រយុទ្ធប្រឆាំងនឹងឧក្រិដ្ឋកម្មដែនសមុទ្រ រួមទាំងការនេសាទខុសច្បាប់”។
ក្រសួងការបរទេសចិនមិនបានឆ្លើយតបទៅនឹងសំណើសុំការអត្ថាធិប្បាយទេ។
Read More …SENATOR MARKEY, SENATOR WARREN, AND REP. TRAHAN DEMAND CAMBODIAN GOVERNMENT RESPECT HUMAN RIGHTS AND RULE OF LAW
JANUARY 13, 2021, Op-Ed: Senator Edward J. Markey
សមាជិកព្រឹទ្ធសភា Markey សមាជិកព្រឹទ្ធសភា Warren និង Rep Trahan មានប្រសាសន៍ថា“ យុទ្ធនាការរបស់លោកនាយករដ្ឋមន្រ្តីហ៊ុនសែនដើម្បីបំបិទសំឡេងគូប្រជែងនយោបាយរបស់គាត់ដោយបដិសេធពួកគេនូវសិទ្ធិការពារខ្លួននៅក្នុងតុលាការ បង្ហាញពីការស្អប់ខ្ពើមចំពោះនីតិរដ្ឋ” ។ “ ការធ្វើសាវនាការតុលាការកង់គូរូដើម្បីដាក់ទោសអ្នករិះគន់ចំពោះការប្រឆាំងជំទាស់របស់ពួកគេរួមជាមួយការវាយប្រហារជាបន្តបន្ទាប់របស់គាត់លើសារព័ត៌មាននិងសង្គមស៊ីវិលគឺជាការឆ្លុះបញ្ចាំងពីភាពទន់ខ្សោយដែលកំពុងកើនឡើងរបស់លោកហ៊ុនសែន នោះមិនមែនជាកម្លាំងទេ។ យើងសូមអំពាវនាវដល់រដ្ឋាភិបាលកម្ពុជាអនុញ្ញាតឱ្យបុគ្គលណាដែលប្រឈមនឹងការចោទប្រកាន់របស់តុលាការ ត្រឡប់មកប្រទេសកម្ពុជាដោយសុវត្ថិភាពដើម្បីចូលរួមក្នុងការតវ៉ាផ្ទាល់ខ្លួន ទោះយ៉ាងណាក៏ដោយវាច្បាស់ណាស់ថាការកាត់ក្តីទាំងនេះគឺមានហេតុផលនយោបាយ ហើយកំពុងដំណើរការនៅក្រៅប្រព័ន្ធច្បាប់។ ច្បាប់លទ្ធិប្រជាធិបតេយ្យនៅកម្ពុជាផ្ញើសារយ៉ាងច្បាស់ថាសភាសហរដ្ឋអាមេរិកមានបំណងជួយប្រជាពលរដ្ឋកម្ពុជាអោយទទួលបានតាមការសន្យានៃកិច្ចព្រមព្រៀងសន្តិភាពទីក្រុងប៉ារីសកាលពីជំនាន់មុន ដូច្នេះពួកគេអាចចូលរួមដោយសេរីនៅក្នុងរដ្ឋាភិបាលរបស់ពួកគេ។ យើងគួរតែអនុម័តច្បាប់នោះអោយខាងតែបាន។
Massachusetts lawmakers condemn Hun Sen’s crackdown and political charges against Members of Cambodia’s leading opposition political party
Washington (January 13, 2021) – Senator Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.), lead Democrat on the East Asia Subcommittee of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), and Congresswoman Lori Trahan (MA-03) released a statement in response to the scheduled January 14, 2021 trial of prominent political opposition leaders in Cambodia. The Government of Cambodia, led by Prime Minister Hun Sen, announced last year their intention to try dozens of activists belonging to the Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP), the country’s main opposition party which was outlawed in 2017, sending many of its leaders into exile. Trials against some of the activists are scheduled to begin this week, while many are prevented from entering Cambodia to participate in their own defense.
“Prime Minister Hun Sen’s campaign to silence his political opponents by denying them the right to defend themselves in court reveals disdain for the rule of law,” said Senator Markey, Senator Warren, and Rep. Trahan. “Convening a kangaroo court to punish his critics for their opposition, along with his continued attacks on the press and civil-society, is a reflection of Hun Sen’s growing weakness, not strength. We call upon the Government of Cambodia to allow any individuals facing charges to return safely to Cambodia to participate in their own trials. However, it is clear that these trials are politically motivated and are operating outside the rule of law. The Cambodia Democracy Act sends the clear message that the U.S. Congress intends to help the Cambodian people deliver on the promise of the Paris Peace Agreements of a generation ago so they can participate freely in their government. We should pass that legislation.”
On January 14, 2021, Cambodia’s Phnom Penh Municipal Court will reportedly try 47 CNRP activists and officials, including Acting CNRP President Sam Rainsy, who lives in exile abroad, and others linked to politically-motivated charges of trying to organize protests against and overthrow the government of Hun Sen. The government has also failed to offer credible evidence to support charges of treason against Kem Sokha, CNRP President, for allegedly attempting to overthrow the Cambodian People’s Party. The Government of Cambodia has failed to issue passports and visas for opposition leaders and activists charged, making it unlikely they will be to answer their court summons in person. In 2020, Senator Markey introduced the Cambodia Democracy Act, in response to the deteriorating human rights and democracy situation in Cambodia.###