13-3-2024 (PHNOM PENH) The General Department of Immigration (GDI) disclosed on March 11th that a joint task force had apprehended 205 foreign nationals and 279 Cambodian citizens during two separate raids.
In the first operation, conducted at the former Paradis Island Casino, authorities detained 172 foreigners. Among them were 109 Vietnamese (including 17 women), 54 Thais (with 24 women), and nine Chinese (including three women). The GDI stated that 167 of the foreign nationals would face deportation, while five were detained pending charges related to managing the operation.
During the second raid, officials encountered 279 Cambodians, with 227 of them being women, along with 28 foreigners (including three women) from China and Myanmar. The 28 foreign citizens were handed over to the GDI for deportation.
Following the raids, Sok Phal, the chairman of the Ministry’s Commission for the Suppression of Cybercrime, addressed a press conference on March 10th. He clarified that the crackdowns in Preah Sihanouk province were part of the government’s strategy to eradicate illegal gambling activities from the province, aiming to transform it into a hub for tourism and development.
Phal urged all illegal gambling operators to cease their activities immediately to attract more tourists to the province. He noted that in the past three months alone, over 3,000 illegal gambling sites had been raided, with more than 10,000 individuals under investigation.
Kuoch Chamroeun, the governor of Preah Sihanouk province, stated that following directives from Interior Minister Sar Sokha, provincial authorities were actively working to shut down all illegal gambling establishments. He highlighted that while the province hosts legal gambling venues monitored by the Ministry of Economy and Finance’s Commercial Gambling Management Commission of Cambodia (CGMC), some opportunistic individuals had opened illegal gambling dens.
“We will continue to root out illegal gambling sites,” he affirmed.
Prime Minister Hun Manet recently reiterated Cambodia’s stance against gambling investments, emphasizing that they do not serve the public interest or benefit society at large.
