20 September 2024

Prime Minister Prayut Chan-ocha and his Cambodian counterpart Hun Sen on Thursday pledged to step up cooperation to crack down on call center scams using Cambodia as their operation base.

Government Spokesman Anucha Burapachaisri said the issue of call center scams was discussed during the bilateral meeting between the Thai and Cambodia leaders.

Prayut arrived in Phnom Penh on Thursday for the ASEAN Summit and related meetings which kick off today.

Many Thais have fallen victims to scams that mostly operate from Sihanoukville, a coastal province of Cambodia. With cooperation from Thailand, Cambodia authorities have been cracking down on the scams and helped rescue many Thais lured into working for the illegal operation.

Anucha said Prayut and Hun Sen pledged to step up cooperation to deal with the scams.

The two leaders also agreed to find ways to strengthen cooperation in areas of finance and digital economy, the spokesman said.

Prayut also thanked Hun Sen for accepting Thailand’s invitation to attend the upcoming summit of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) to be held in Bangkok next week as guest of the Thai Government.

This handout photo taken and release by Cambodia’s Government Cabinet shows Cambodia’s Prime Minister Hun Sen (R) shaking hands with Thailand’s Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha (L) at the Peace Palace in Phnom Penh on November 10, 2022, amid the ASEAN Summit. (Photo by Kok Ky / CAMBODIA’S GOVERNMENT CABINET / AFP)