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US Keeps Trafficking Tier 3 Ranking Over Scam Prosecutions
The US State Department has kept Cambodia on Tier 3, its lowest trafficking ranking, and says the government prosecuted no traffickers tied to scam centers. The report credits raids that closed hundreds of compounds and the arrest of Prince Group founder Chen Zhi, who was sent to China. It also says some senior officials, advisers and police profited from the centers and protected them, and residents and survivors said compounds began emptying before police arrived. Eight officials were demoted but none have been investigated, and US-sanctioned senators Kok An and Ly Yong Phat faced no action. Both, naturally, deny involvement. The government says it has taken down all 86 large centers it identified and frozen more than $300 million of assets.
Read more: Phnom Penh Post (official complicity), Khmer Times (scam-center abuses), Kiripost (Operation XXL), CamboJA News (sanctioned senators)
PM Says Rubio Pressed Thailand to Ease Border Tensions
Hun Manet says US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has told Thailand to put a stop to behavior that raises border tensions or that looks like encroachment on Cambodian land. He said that a US embassy official (unnamed) delivered the message in an “urgent” meeting. The official also apparently asked Cambodia to confirm it wouldn’t escalate. Hun Manet wants Washington to help restart the Joint Boundary Commission. There’s been no survey or demarcation work since a December ceasefire brought a pause to fighting that’s already killed more than 100 people. Thailand's Foreign Ministry says the reports are "a distortion of facts" for domestic political gain.
Read more: Phnom Penh Post (Kuala Lumpur Accord), CamboJA News (displacement relief)
Thai Maritime Dispute Talks Move to The Hague
Foreign Minister Prak Sokhonn and border affairs minister Lam Chea will lead a delegation to The Hague from October 14 to 18 for the second round of UNCLOS conciliation with Thailand. Phnom Penh started the proceedings after Thailand canceled the 2001 MoU that had previously been in place to settle maritime disputes. The Hague session will be held behind closed doors, but Cambodia says that it can be okay with a treaty that fixes a single maritime boundary or a results in a joint development deal, or failing that, commission recommendations to guide future talks.
Read more: Phnom Penh Post
Fuel Import Bill Up Nearly 54 Percent to $2.82B
Cambodia spent $2.82 billion importing fuel in the first nine months of the year, which is more than half as much again as it did over the period last year. Gasoline rose the fastest, up 76 percent to $1.04 billion. Diesel is still the larger line item though, at $1.47 billion. Since the Middle East conflict began in late February, pump prices are up 39 percent for gasoline and 44 percent for diesel. Prime Minister Hun Manet says the government has spent nearly $500 million on subsidies, which he says will continue as long as global fuel prices stay high.
Read more: The Star (pricing period), Cambodianess (import breakdown)
Treasury Claims $2.5B After Banknote Rumors
Senate President Hun Sen says the treasury is in possession of at least $2.5 billion in response to social media rumors that the new 50,000-riel and 100,000-riel banknotes indicate that there’s cash trouble afoot. The payroll total for government salaries is $230 million a month, he said, and revenue so far this year is in excess of $5 billion. The new banknotes add anti-counterfeiting features and are being presented as simple replacements for the older, worn ones. The bank says that about 92 million of the older notes were collected and destroyed in September.
Read more: CamboJA News
Cambodia and Vietnam Ink Six Deals
Cambodia and Vietnam signed six agreements during Le Minh Hung's first visit as Vietnam's prime minister. One has Vietnam's Ministry of Public Security helping build a national drug treatment center in Svay Rieng. The leaders agreed to speed up the link between the Phnom Penh-Bavet and Ho Chi Minh City-Moc Bai expressways. Both teams aspirationally confirmed that they shared a $20 billion trade target, but didn’t put any dates on when we should expect the benchmark to be met. Cambodia's commerce ministry reports $6.6 billion in trade through the first three quarters of 2026 and Vietnamese figures put it at $8.7 billion for the first eight months. Why there is a discrepancy is not clear.
Read more: The Star (border checkpoint), Khmer Times (business forum), Myanmaritv (expressway), Xinhua (agreement types), CamboJA News (drug center)
Angkor Foreign Visitors Down 28 Percent YTD
Foreign visitors to Angkor Archaeological Park fell more than a quarter in the first nine months of the year, to about 511,000. Ticket revenue was down a similar 26 percent to $24.2 million. Tourism Minister Huot Hak is blaming negative publicity, online scam concerns, border friction and the conflict in the Middle East that’s increased the cost of fuel (and, presumably, the cost of flights to Siem Riep). The United States, Britain and China remain the largest source markets, and the slide comes on the heels of a 7 percent drop in ticket buyers last year, when the state-owned Angkor Enterprise collected $44.7 million.
Read more: Phnom Penh Post (ministry response), Khmer Times (rebound outlook)
Al Jazeera Probe Ties Deng Pibing to Scams
An undercover investigation by Al Jazeera's 101 East alleges that China-born billionaire Deng Pibing built his business empire in Cambodia on corruption. Reporters say they found scam factories and drug-fueled karaoke parties inside. Interesting video, if you have the time to watch it (about 25 minutes).
Read more: Al Jazeera (video)
Embassies Switch From Visa Stickers to E-Visas
In good news for frequent visitors to the Kingdom, several Cambodian embassies have stopped issuing the old full-page visa stickers of every type and made the switch to e-visas. The change came into effect on October 3, and, while no reason was given, Tho Samnang, a former Foreign Ministry director-general, has been charged with issuing more than 12,000 visa stickers to a scam-connected criminal group in exchange for (allegedly) $3 million.
Read more: Phnom Penh Post
CITES Can't Rule Out Fraud in Monkey Exports
A CITES review says it can’t rule out fraud and corruption in the monkey-export(!) trade, according to PETA. US investigators reportedly found that output at five of six breeding farms was in excess of the species' biological capacity. PETA says a five-year US Fish and Wildlife Service investigation has resulted in federal indictments against eight people. The group has asked US Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to bring a stop to Cambodian monkey imports for US labs.
Read more: PETA
Ministry Denies Sending Activists to Vietnam
Cambodia's Interior Ministry denies that its authorities arrested Australian Tran Hiep and Norwegian Nguyen Duc Thuan or handed them over to Vietnam. Immigration records show both flew into Techo International Airport from Thailand, but neither has any recorded departure. Vietnam says border guards detained them three days after their arrival in Tay Ninh province after they made an alleged illegal crossing. Hanoi says that they are member or Viet Tan, which it designates a terrorist group.
Read more: Phnom Penh Post
That's all for this week, thanks for reading. Your voice matters to us. Feel we're missing something? Have additional sources to suggest? Don't hold back- hit reply and tell us what you think.
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