Former tycoon Heng Sethy says most online crime bosses are Thais hiding in Cambodia

By Cambodia Daily
Former tycoon Heng Sethy warns Thailand not to paint Cambodia in a negative light regarding online crime, because the majority of online crime bosses are Thai nationals who have come to hide and operate in Cambodia, causing the international community to misunderstand that Cambodia is a country with a strong and stable government. It is a hiding place for online criminals, while the Cambodian government is taking the best measures.
Mr. Heng Sethy confirmed through his family to the American newspaper The Cambodia Daily that he asks Thailand to be a little more dignified and not paint Cambodia in a negative light regarding online issues because the majority of those online criminals are Thai nationals.
The same source claimed that the Cambodian government has taken the best measures to combat online crime so as not to mislead the international community, especially Thailand, which has accused Cambodia of being a hiding place for online criminals. In recent years, he has observed that Thai online crime lboss have come to secretly operate in Cambodia.
The family of former tycoon Heng Sethy claimed that online crime is difficult to locate because they can use methods of deploying staff without gathering them and use a motherboard system to control the entire system. Mr. Heng Sethy’s family further asserted that Mr. Heng Sethy requested the Ministry of Interior to take the most stringent measures and identify the perpetrators effectively, and to act like rain.
Mr. Heng Sethy claims that if he were to die, he would volunteer to serve in the army to protect the country according to military law. If he made a mistake, he could be shot on the spot. He claims that he wants to contribute to building the nation as a token of gratitude for peace.
He claims that he is a Khmer with Khmer blood. He is currently in Cambodia. He has never run away. If he really wanted to run away, his abilities and wisdom would probably have gone to sleep peacefully in England, America, or France.
He would like to announce to the public that it doesn’t matter if you are a Khmer person, whether you are rich or poor, or whether you have different views, the most important thing is that when the nation is facing the problem of foreign invasion, it must be united, not hiding abroad and attacking its own country.
Mr. Heng Sethy claims that he supports the government in resolving the issue through diplomatic policies to maintain security, peace, and social stability. However, if there is no other option or if there is a large-scale invasion, he believes that the government will not let the enemy escape.
Former tycoon Heng Sethy was arrested by the International Police Agency (INTERPOL) and extradited from Russia to Cambodia on May 24, 2025, under an extradition agreement between the two governments. After being charged by a Cambodian court with “aggravated threats to defame” under Articles 372 and 374 of the Criminal Code.
It is noteworthy that since late 2024, Mr. Heng Sethy has exposed scandals involving powerful people, wealthy people, armed forces officials, and senior officials in the Cambodian government, from person to person, stories of corruption and gambling are circulating on social media.
The U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission (USCC) released its report on July 18 that fraudulent operations in Cambodia are on the rise, with occasional crackdowns on such scams only intended to reduce international pressure.
Cambodia, Laos, Thailand and Burma have been identified as hubs for the scam, with a Chinese actor named Wang Xing also seen kidnapped in Thailand. and trafficked into a fraud center in Burma recently.