By Buth Reaksmey Kongkea
Monday, 21 May 2012
Phnom Penh Post
Taiwanese and Chinese nationals accused of running an international extortion ring were arrested over the weekend in the capital. Photograph: supplied
Another massive crackdown on Taiwanese and Chinese nationals accused of
operating a Phnom Penh-based international extortion ring – the third in
less than a year – yielded 49 arrests over the weekend, police said
yesterday.
Lieutenant General Chhay Sinarith, director of the Internal Security Department at the Ministry of Interior,
said the suspects, who were identified to Cambodian authorities by
Chinese police, were arrested by his forces in raids on eight different
sites in the Chamkarmorn, Tuol Kork and Sen Sok districts of Phnom Penh.
“This
was the third time our Cambodian police have cracked down and arrested
these Chinese mafia groups in Cambodia,” Chhay Sinarith told the Post.
“They were using VoIP [Voice over Internet Protocol, a type of internet
phone service] from Cambodia to threaten and extort money from many
people in China and Taiwan.”
Authorities arrested nearly 200
suspected mafia members using the same methods of extortion last June,
and arrested 60 others earlier this year.
According to Chhay
Sinarith, a report sent by Chinese police to Cambodian authorities last
week stated that the group had been operating here for years.
Using
information gleaned from the report, authorities mounted a search that
led investigators to the suspects’ homes in Phnom Penh.
“Cambodian
ministries involved are now in contact with the Chinese government for
extraditions,” said Chhay Sinarith. “We are planning to extradite them
to their countries this week.”
General Kirth Chantharith, spokesman for the national police, called on all Cambodians to be on the lookout for similar groups.
“To
prevent such mafia groups in Cambodia in future, I would like to appeal
to all people to cooperate and report to the police immediately when
they see any group of foreign people who have committed questionable
activities,” he said.
Officials at the Chinese Embassy in Cambodia could not be reached for comment.
To contact the reporter on this story: Buth Reaksmey Kongkea at reaksmeykongkea.buth@phnompenhpost.com
1 comment:
This mafias should be deport to their native country right away !...If Cpp continue to neglect these problems will be security threated to our country as whole,these forieng's mafias were scums of society and cancers that create
takes rooted of corruption/bribery and killer for hire.
These mafias should be photographed and documents in the data bank in order to keep
all of them from using srok Khmer as their base
of scams/cons/extortions etc.
Cpp must recognize that mafias create social unrest and injustice to those law respecting citizens,these groups of foreigners shouldn't be allowed to stay in Cambodia anyway.
Please deport them as soon as possible...thank you...Khmer
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