Cambodia

THINKING ALOUD

Emergency extinguisher full or empty? Crunch time for Asean’s fuel pact

This energy crisis will test whether the bloc’s emergency fuel-sharing pact is a gentleman’s agreement in disappearing ink

An ExxonMobil oil refinery in Singapore (top). Singapore and Malaysia made up nearly a third of Cambodia’s annual petroleum product imports in 2024.

Cambodia turns to Singapore, Malaysia for fuel as Vietnam, China restrict supplies

 Many petrol stations reopen after a third were closed last week

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr’s political standing has significantly changed since 2022. With two years left in office, his approval and trust ratings are in decline.

The Philippine chairmanship of Asean in a year of strategic tension

Manila’s challenge lies less in setting ambitious priorities than in preserving cohesion amid mounting challenges

A police officer inspects a scam compound known as "My Casino", which police said was owned by former tycoon and casino owner Ly Kuong who was arrested on Jan 15, Kampot province, Cambodia, Feb 10, 2026.

After the raids, Asia’s billion-dollar scam trade flickers back

As bigger scam centres in Cambodia disappear, smaller ones in rural areas take their place

The assets, including luxury condominiums, yachts and cars, were frozen by the Anti-Money Laundering Office in December.

Thailand moves to seize US$420 million assets linked to scammers

Assets facing confiscation include those belonging to alleged scam kingpin Chen Zhi

Attackers often exploit smaller or less-protected companies to gain access to larger systems, but many companies lack the resources or expertise to handle advanced cyberthreats, PM Wong notes.
SINGAPORE BUDGET 2026

Security-related spending expected to rise in coming years

In addition to physical attacks, the Republic is also vulnerable to cyberthreats

Syndicates carry out online investment fraud, romance scams and illegal gambling operations targeting victims all over the world.

Cambodia floats new law in crackdown on gangs running scam farms

Lawmakers have been discussing a separate draft cybercrime law for around a decade

A room set up to imitate a Singapore police station, including fake Singapore police uniforms, inside a compound in O'Smach used for scam operations.

Scammers’ abandoned Cambodia compound exposes brutality and banality of fraud

Abandoned compounds expose scam scripts, target profiles and rooms staged as police stations

OHF staff and volunteers help to build wells in rural villages in Cambodia.
TAKING HEART

Operation Hope Foundation tackles poverty in Cambodia and Nepal, while doubling down on fraud

Running its own programmes allows the charity to deliver more impact to beneficiaries

Chen Zhi, who has since been extradited to China following his arrest, was accused of growing his multinational conglomerate Prince Holding Group with his top executives into "one of Asia's largest transnational criminal organisations".

Anatomy of a scam empire: Brains and businesses behind Chen Zhi’s network centred in Cambodia

The Business Times unravels the tangled web of sanctioned collaborators, accused associates and entities, using Handshakes data