In the past couple of days, the streets of Sihanoukville have felt tense, with police conducting sweeping checks to crack down on scams. While everyone agrees that tackling fraud is important, the heavy-handed approach has also caught some innocent people in the net. Today, local police raided a small hotel suspected of being involved in scam activities, and they took away a large number of people, including some who were wrongly apprehended.
One of those affected is Mr. Chen, who runs a frozen goods shop. He had rented a room in that hotel for two of his employees to use as a dorm. This afternoon, while the two young men were resting in their room, police barged in and took them away. Mr. Chen insists that both employees are completely legal, with valid work permits and all necessary documents. There wasn’t even a computer in the room; they usually do physical work at the shop. But the police didn’t listen to any of this and took them without hesitation.
After the incident, Mr. Chen quickly sought help from a local translator to inquire at the police station. He found out that since the hotel is under suspicion for fraud, anyone staying there would have to go through deportation procedures. Now, both employees’ phones have been confiscated, and they are completely out of contact. While everyone supports the crackdown on scams, it’s frustrating that such a broad approach could end up targeting the few legitimate Chinese workers still trying to make a living in Sihanoukville. Let’s hope the immigration department can establish a way to distinguish between genuine workers and those involved in illegal activities, so that innocent people can be released.
