PHNOM PENH: The Royal Government of Cambodia has announced that it will increase operations to combat human trafficking in Cambodia.

The announcement of the Office of the Council of Ministers was published on 9 September 2022, stating that the Royal Government fully agrees with the proposal of the Minister of Interior to establish an operation to combat human trafficking in Cambodia, focused on five key principles.

This requires increased cooperation in the fight against human trafficking to save victims and identify perpetrators to be punished according to the law, and to also crack down on any illegal gambling involved. For cases that are confirmed to involve human trafficking, labor trafficking or online fraud, the investigation should be extended to further identify money laundering offenses as well.

The implementation of this operation requires equality in accordance with the laws in force, and with a high level of responsibility shared among all locations. Those who are suspected of being involved in human trafficking and smuggling of all forms, and those who are subsequently confirmed to be involved in such offenses, will be punished in accordance with the provisions of the law without exception.

However, relevant authorities may also respond to any provocative information with a request to correct the contrary, in order to neutralize negative attacks from various circles, both inside and outside the country, as well as to avoid making an impact on Cambodia’s political environment and social security.

Most of all, it is necessary for cooperation between relevant institutions to be increased in order to thoroughly monitor and organize the situation in places where there are large concentrations of people, including accommodations, businesses, and establishments that rely on foreign labor, in order to control and prevent foreigners from illegally entering the country through the border.