Cambodia Intensifies Online Scam Crackdown After Court Issues Life Sentences
Cambodia Intensifies Online Scam Crackdown After Court Issues Life Sentences
KAMPOT, May 28, 2026 — The Kampot Provincial Court has sentenced six Chinese nationals to life imprisonment over the torture and killing of a South Korean student, Park Minho, in a case linked to organized online scam operations.
According to a statement released by the Kampot Provincial Court spokesperson on May 27, the verdict followed hearings conducted on May 6 in criminal case number 600-I, dated August 11, 2025.
After reviewing evidence and hearing arguments, the trial chamber issued Criminal Verdict No. 281 on May 27, sentencing all six defendants to life imprisonment on charges of “murder involving torture and acts of cruelty” and “aggravated fraud committed by an organized group.”
The convicted men were identified as:
- LI XING PENG alias YOU FU
- LIU HAOXING alias TA THOV
- ZHU RENZHE alias Pak
- YIN SONG WAN
- JIN TIAN LONG alias KIM CHEOL LYEONG
- LI GUANG HAO alias XIAO PIAO
The crimes took place on August 8, 2025, inside Building No. 173, Zone 3, Crown City area, in Boeung Touk commune, Bokor city, Kampot province.
Authorities said the victim, South Korean national Park Minho, was killed in connection with organized cyber scam activities.
The case comes amid Cambodia’s intensified nationwide crackdown on online scam networks. The Secretariat of the Committee for Combating Online Scams said authorities have dismantled more than 400 cyber scam cases between July 2025 and May 20, 2026.
During that period, officials revoked or suspended licences of 25 casinos allegedly linked to online scam activities and forwarded 143 cybercrime cases involving 1,458 suspects to the courts. The suspects included nationals from 19 countries.
Authorities also reported that from January 2025 to May 24, 2026, Cambodia deported 18,864 foreign nationals connected to online scam operations, including suspects from 33 different nationalities.
Under Cambodia’s newly implemented anti-online scam law, offenders can face penalties of up to life imprisonment, fines reaching one billion riel, and confiscation of assets.
Prime Minister Hun Manet has repeatedly ordered authorities to continue aggressively dismantling online scam networks in order to protect national security and Cambodia’s international reputation.
