Cambodia police arrest 119 Chinese over telecoms fraud

PHNOM PENH - Dozens of Chinese have been arrested in Cambodia on suspicion of extorting money from people in China via a telecoms scam, police said on Monday.

The arrests at two locations in Cambodia's capital Phnom Penh on Sunday are the latest in an ongoing battle Cambodia has waged with China's help against criminal call centres.

Last month police arrested 100 Chinese at a seven-storey condominium in the capital.

Uk Haiseila, chief of the Immigration Investigation Bureau, said the raids followed a request for help from Chinese police and an investigation that lasted several months.

Chinese scammers often enter Cambodia on tourist visas, according to immigration police.

Despite the frequent arrests of Chinese and Taiwanese suspected scammers, Heisela said he believed Cambodia was able to keep a lid on the scams.

"We could control this. It is not very serious", he said.

The scams have become a headache for both China and Taiwan, bringing co-operation between them, but also objections from Taiwan because of the deportation of suspects from the self-ruled island to face trial on the mainland.