Phnom Penh prosecutors have officially pressed charges against Lim Long, the commune chief from Koh Kong province’s Dara Sakor area, following a high-profile arrest by the Anti-Corruption Unit that had already set local coffee stalls buzzing.
Now the full rap sheet is out. Prosecutors have charged him with bribery, money laundering, and most notably, using his authority to help online scam syndicates set up shop in the area.
Two of his associates, Khea Visna and Khea So, were also indicted. A key figure in the case remains on the run: a Chinese national named Zhang Jianqiang, who also went by the alias Cai Youyuan. Official investigations and local reports point to Zhang as the main financier behind the scam compounds—the man who allegedly greased the chief’s palms to build the operations. Zhang may still be at large, but his case file is now firmly in the hands of the Phnom Penh Municipal Court.
For residents along the Dara Sakor coast, none of this comes as a shock. Over the past few years, the quiet seaside strip transformed into a landscape of high-walled compounds, complete with late-night taxis, delivery motos buzzing until dawn, and skyrocketing rents. Sipping iced coffee at roadside stalls, locals always understood the reality: compounds that big don't just pop up out of nowhere unless someone powerful is holding an umbrella over them.
Now that the ACU has hauled the commune chief off to face the court, delivery drivers and local residents are keeping a close eye on the streets to see which way the wind will blow next.
