44 h. ago China’s naval ‘genius’; 2 million Filipinos’ jobs on the line: 5 weekend reads

We have put together stories from our coverage last weekend to help you stay informed about news across Asia and beyond. If you would like to see more of our reporting, please consider subscribing. 1. US call centre bill threatens Philippines’ US$30 billion outsourcing boom 2. Chinachem Tower blaze in Hong Kong’s Central put out after 4-hour battle, 4 hurt 3. The aircraft carrier champion and naval genius behind China’s blue sea strategy 4. Man accused of running Cambodian scam farm empire...

Politics

3 d. ago Man accused of running Cambodian scam farm empire has Hong Kong business links

A Chinese-born businessman sanctioned by the US and UK for alleged human trafficking through a Cambodian-based cybercrime empire and scam farm has operations in Hong Kong and a related company owns an office building in the city, the Post has found. The discovery followed an announcement by the US Office of Foreign Assets Control, which on Tuesday sanctioned more than 100 business entities including 11 Hong Kong companies linked to Chen Zhi, CEO and chairman of Cambodian conglomerate Prince...

Politics

3 d. ago 64 South Korean ‘pig butchering’ suspects return home from Cambodia

Sixty-four South Koreans who had been detained in Cambodia for alleged involvement in cyberscam operations returned home Saturday. South Korea had sent a team to Cambodia on Wednesday to discuss cases of fake jobs and scam centres involved in kidnapping dozens of its nationals. “A total of 64 nationals just arrived at Incheon International Airport on a chartered flight,” a police official said. Seoul had said around 60 South Koreans had been detained by authorities in Cambodia over the alleged...

Politics

3 d. ago 64 South Korean cyber scam suspects repatriated from Cambodia

Sixty-four South Koreans who had been detained in Cambodia for alleged involvement in cyberscam operations returned home on Saturday and were under arrest, police said. South Korea had sent a team to Cambodia on Wednesday to discuss cases of fake jobs and scam centres involved in kidnapping dozens of its nationals. “A total of 64 nationals just arrived at Incheon International Airport on a chartered flight,” a police official said. Seoul had said around 60 South Koreans had been detained by...

Politics

4 d. ago Kidnapped, trapped, forced to scam: inside Cambodia’s Chinese

Rows of grey buildings with thick iron bars line the streets of Sihanoukville, about 250km (155 miles) southwest of Phnom Penh. Near the city’s Chinatown stands Cambodia’s largest so-called yuanqu – a slang term in Chinese criminal circles meaning “scam compound”, derived from yuanqu, or industrial estate. Inside these complexes, online crimes such as voice phishing and romance scams are part of daily life. Young people from South Korea and other countries are kidnapped or lured by Chinese-run...

Events

5 d. ago 3 Singaporeans sanctioned over links to Cambodia’s Chen Zhi scam network

Three Singaporeans have been sanctioned for alleged links to a fraud empire involving a Cambodian conglomerate and its China-born chief executive, as part of the largest crackdown by the United States and United Kingdom on cybercriminal networks in Southeast Asia. Of the three, Chen Xiuling, also known as Karen, has resigned from her position as an independent non-executive director at Taiwan-based live streaming platform 17Live Group, based on a company announcement on the Singapore Exchange...

Politics

5 d. ago Who is Chen Zhi, the ‘untouchable’ tycoon linked to Cambodia’s scam hubs?

US and UK authorities unveiled sanctions this week against Chen Zhi, a British-Cambodian tycoon accused of running cyber scam operations where workers, some trafficked, carry out transnational fraud schemes that have netted billions of dollars. Here’s a look at the man, indicted in the US, and his sanctioned company, Prince Holding Group. Who is Prince Group’s Chen Zhi? One of Cambodia’s largest conglomerates, Prince Holding Group, has operated across more than 30 countries with interests in...

Politics

6 d. ago South Koreans reveal beatings and organ harvesting in Cambodia’s scam camps

As South Korean victims of Cambodia’s scam camps recount frequent beatings, torture and even organ harvesting, President Lee Jae-myung has vowed to step up efforts to rescue citizens trapped in the Southeast Asian nation. “It’s not uncommon for people to die from assault. About one person dies every day,” one South Korean who is a resident in Cambodia told Yonhap news agency on Tuesday. “It’s not just South Koreans who are targeted. There are also people of various nationalities, including...

Politics

6 d. ago ‘1 person dies every day’: South Koreans reveal horrors of Cambodia’s scam camps

As South Korean victims of Cambodia’s scam camps recount frequent beatings, torture and even organ harvesting, President Lee Jae-myung has vowed to step up efforts to rescue citizens trapped in the Southeast Asian nation. “It’s not uncommon for people to die from assault. About one person dies every day,” one South Korean who is a resident in Cambodia told Yonhap news agency on Tuesday. “It’s not just South Koreans who are targeted. There are also people of various nationalities, including...

Events

6 d. ago South Korea bans travel to notorious scam complex zones in Cambodia

South Korea has banned travel to certain parts of Cambodia after the death of a college student, reportedly kidnapped and tortured by a crime ring, shocked the nation and led to calls for stronger government intervention. On Wednesday, Seoul designated the Bokor Mountain area, Poipet and Bavet as travel ban zones. “South Korean nationals visiting or staying in those areas may be subject to penalties under the Passport Act and other relevant regulations. Citizens planning to travel to such areas...

Politics

6 d. ago Cambodian tycoon exposed as kingpin behind US$14 billion crypto fraud empire

The US government has seized more than US$14 billion in bitcoin and charged the founder of a Cambodian conglomerate in a massive cryptocurrency scam, accusing him and unnamed co-conspirators of exploiting forced labour to dupe would-be investors and using the proceeds to buy yachts, jets and a Picasso painting. In an indictment unsealed on Tuesday, Brooklyn federal prosecutors charged Prince Holding Group chairman Chen Zhi with wire fraud conspiracy and money laundering conspiracy. At the same...

Economics

7 d. ago Will Cambodia’s scam epidemic cause South Koreans to shun country?

The death of a South Korean student in Cambodia, leading to Seoul summoning the Cambodian ambassador, is set to dent tourism and Phnom Penh’s reputation in the eyes of the Korean public, but ties between both sides may not be drastically affected, according to analysts. Last Friday, Foreign Minister Cho Hyun summoned the Cambodian ambassador in Seoul to protest the death of the student, linked to an employment scam in Cambodia. Cho also called for stronger measures to tackle the rising number of...

Politics