Hun Manet Rejects Neighbour's Offer of Help in Scam Crackdown
Cambodian PM tells South Korean envoy that Phnom Penh has "sufficient capacity" and needs no third-party involvement in fighting online crime
- Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet has publicly rejected an offer of help from an unnamed neighboring country to tackle online scam operations.
- Manet asserted that Cambodia and South Korea have the necessary capacity to address the issue bilaterally, without needing any third-party involvement.
- The rejection was a response to media reports that the neighboring country's leader planned to discuss the scam issue with the South Korean President on Cambodia's behalf.
- The Prime Minister added a pointed remark that the neighboring leader should focus on resolving their own domestic issues.
The Cambodian Prime Minister, Hun Manet, has publicly rebuffed a neighbouring country’s offer to help tackle transnational online scam networks operating within Cambodia.
In a strongly worded social media post on 16th October 2568 (2025), following a meeting with Her Excellency Kim Jina, South Korea’s Second Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs, Manet asserted that Cambodia possessed the necessary capacity to handle the issue bilaterally with Seoul.
The meeting focused on strengthening the strategic partnership between Cambodia and South Korea, which has seen close cooperation across nearly all sectors.
They specifically discussed joint efforts against transnational crimes, particularly online scams, noting that previous cooperation had already yielded "many fruitful outcomes."
However, Manet took issue with recent media reports from a neighbouring country suggesting its leader planned to discuss ways of addressing online scam issues involving Korean nationals in Cambodia with the South Korean President.
"I informed Her Excellency Kim Jina that, if this report is true, I would like her to convey to His Excellency the President that Cambodia does not need any neighboring country to carry out such work on its behalf," Manet wrote.
He added a pointed directive, suggesting the leader of the unnamed country "should instead focus on properly resolving their own domestic issues."
The Prime Minister concluded by reiterating that Cambodia and South Korea have "sufficient capacity and means to work together bilaterally to resolve the matter — without the need for any third-party involvement."
