Over iced coffee at a Phnom Penh street stall the other day, everyone was talking about a local corruption case down in Koh Kong. The Anti-Corruption Unit has been digging into Ream Rom, a commune chief in Botum Sakor district. Not long ago, the government clamped down hard on the massive online scam and gambling compounds in the area, forcing them to shut. But Ream Rom saw a business opportunity. As the big sites fell, he set up a haven right on his own private land, taking in over 30 scattered scam workers who had fled the roundups so they could keep operating. As one official put it, the local chief basically turned himself into a personal bodyguard for a criminal syndicate.
According to local media reports, on May 27 this year, the district governor personally led a surprise raid on the secret hideout the chief had arranged. But Ream Rom got word in advance and tipped off the gang to clear out, leaving officers staring at an empty room. The very next day, May 28, the Chinese syndicate boss wired him a final installment of $8,050 in protection money to guarantee they wouldn't get busted.
By September 18, the court officially charged the commune chief and two accomplices with taking bribes, operating an online scam site, and money laundering, while the suspects who fled were charged in absentia. Sitting out on the street in Phnom Penh, with motorbikes roaring past and a cold glass of iced coffee in hand, you realize the games running beneath the surface are deeper than a muddy backcountry road. No matter how loudly the authorities flush out the big compounds, as long as small-time local officials are willing to take cash and look the other way, this mess will always find a dark corner to hide in.
