Cambodia deports 25 Japanese nationals suspected of operating online scams

By SOPHENG CHEANG
Associated Press

PHNOM PENH, Cambodia (AP) — Twenty-five Japanese nationals suspected of involvement in a cyberscam operation based in Cambodia have been deported to Japan. A spokesperson from Cambodia’s Interior Ministry said a charter flight was arranged Wednesday by the Japanese government to transport the suspects, who were detained in September after Cambodian police received a tip-off from their Japanese counterparts. The U.N.’s human rights office said in August that criminal gangs have forced hundreds of thousands of people in Southeast Asia into participating in unlawful online scam operations, including false romantic ploys, bogus investment pitches and illegal gambling schemes.