Sitting at a tea stall in Phnom Penh, you can hear a group of ride-share drivers at the next table talking about Prime Minister Hun Manet’s latest speech. He didn't mince words, making it clear that the crackdown on online scams isn't going to stop. Right there in the meeting, he made his stance official: he’s got the backs of law enforcement, telling officers not to worry about stepping on toes and to make arrests wherever necessary. Things have tightened up on the streets lately, and everyone is saying this isn't just for show this time.
Hun Manet used a surgical analogy, saying that some areas just need to be operated on—it’s going to hurt and there will be blood, but it’s still better than letting the whole thing rot from the inside. Scams might look like they're localized, he noted, but they ruin the country's entire reputation, driving away tourists and ultimately hurting honest, everyday people. Local media report that locals who used to make quick money renting out houses and cars are now seeing things dry up. Hun Manet urged them to change lines of work while they still can, warning that they can't rely on shady shortcuts forever and that they can forget about getting online gambling licenses because the government is completely done with that business.
For anyone waiting for the storm to pass or thinking the authorities will ease up after a while, Hun Manet shut that door completely. He warned officials at all levels that if they are too afraid of offending people to take action, they should just resign. After all, aren't they worried about offending all 15 million-plus people in Cambodia? In some provinces, the entire leadership teams have already been replaced. He made it plain: scam operations are a red line, the responsibility rests entirely with him, the orders came from him, and he’ll carry the weight himself.
