Cambodian, Thai police agree on cross-border scam task force
Senior Cambodian and Thai police officers met on September 16, in Thailand’s Sa Kaeo province. Supplied
-The Phnom Penh Post-
The Cambodian and Thai police have agreed to establish a joint task force to develop action plans to prevent and suppress cross-border crimes, including online scams and human trafficking.
The Cambodian delegation to the September 16 meeting, held in Thailand’s Sa Kaeo province, was led by deputy national police chief Seang Tharith, while the hosts were led by senior inspector-general Thatchai Pitaneelaboot. The meeting ran from 10am to 8pm.
“Both parties agreed to establish a task force to continue discussions on developing action plans related to preventing and suppressing cross-border crimes, including combating technology-based fraud and human trafficking,” said a statement on the meetings outcomes, released by the Cambodian National Police.
“Both parties are prepared to implement this cooperation with mutual respect, based on the spirit of good collaboration, adherence to the law and respect for each country’s sovereignty,” it added.
The meeting followed up on the result of the September 10 1st Special Meeting of the General Border Committee (GBC) in Koh Kong province, where both sides had promoted enhanced cooperation at all levels between the relevant authorities of the two countries to prevent and suppress cross-border crimes through the cooperation of both police and interior ministries.
The press release outlined Cambodia’s stance, reiterating the Royal Government of Cambodia’s commitment to combating all cross-border crimes, including technology-based fraud.
“Cambodia hopes that the Thai government will share the same commitment to ensure the safety of their respective citizens, as technology-based fraud is increasingly concerning in the region and globally,” it said.
Thai authorities have frequently cited the suppression of online scams as a reason for escalating tensions along the border, such as ordering border closures in June, before the armed conflicts of late July. Thai leaders ordered the border closed, except for students and patients, claiming it was to combat online scams.
