The continuous fighting has netted thousands of people suspected of being victims of human trafficking who were made to labor in conditions akin to slavery in Cambodia near the border with Thailand.
Thailand has targeted border casinos in Cambodia that, according to the Thai army, have been converted into shooting positions and arsenals for the Royal Cambodian Armed Forces.At least four casinos in Cambodia, just across the border, have been destroyed or attacked by Thailand.
After Thai soldiers stopped Cambodian tourists from singing their national song at the Prasat Ta Muen Thom, an antique temple near the border, in February, the territorial dispute—which has lasted for more than a century—turned into an armed battle earlier this year.One Cambodian soldier died as a result of the incident.
The prime minister of Thailand, Paetongtarn Shinawatra, blamed her own soldiers for the February tragedy in a leaked phone conversation with Hun Sen, the most influential person in Cambodia. Tensions between the two parties increased and Shinawatra was impeached as a result of the unofficial discussion that was made public.
Although there are numerous casinos on the Cambodian side of the Thai-Cambodian border, the UN claims that these establishments have also functioned as hubs for online scams, where an estimated 100,000 victims of human trafficking have been coerced into participating in what is thought to be a multibillion-dollar industry.
According to London-based international human rights group Amnesty International, the Cambodian government has permitted torture and slavery to "flourish inside hellish scamming compounds." 52 scamming compounds in Cambodia have been visited by the group; several of the structures were once hotels and casinos that were converted by Chinese criminal gangs.
"Most victims had been lured to Cambodia by deceptive job advertisements posted on social media sites such as Facebook and Instagram. After being trafficked, survivors said they were forced to contact people using social media platforms and begin conversations aimed at defrauding them. These included fake romances or investment opportunities, selling products that would never be delivered, or building trust with victims before financially exploiting them, known as ‘pig-butchering,'” Amnesty reports.
“Our findings reveal a pattern of state failures that have allowed criminality to flourish and raise questions about the government’s motivations,” said Amnesty International’s Regional Research Director Montse Ferrer.
This week, the UN acknowledged that civilians and victims of human trafficking in Cambodia are still in danger, and that some have probably been killed in the confrontation between Thailand and Cambodia.
"Casino complexes and suspected scam centers in Cambodia have reportedly been hit,” the UN advised.
“I am alarmed by reports that areas around villages and cultural sites are being struck by fighter jets, drones, and artillery. “Under international humanitarian law, it is very clear that protection of civilians and civilian infrastructure is paramount,” added Volker Türk, the UN’s high commissioner for human rights.
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