The US announced that it will impose sanctions on Cambodian gaming tycoon Ly Yong Phat, his conglomerate L.Y.P. Group, O-Smach Resort, and three hotels owned or controlled by Ly for “their role in serious human rights abuses related to the treatment of workers subjected to forced labor in online investment scam operations.”The decision came after the annual Trafficking in Persons Report (TIP Report), published by the Department of State’s Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons, highlighted the issue in Cambodia and its alleged link to Ly and his business.
The report noted that “ongoing corruption and official complicity in trafficking crimes remained widespread and endemic, resulting in selective and often politically-motivated enforcement of laws, thereby inhibiting effective law enforcement action against trafficking crimes, including forced labor in online investment scam operations.”
The United States called on the government of Cambodia to secure the safe release, repatriation, and protection of all persons currently being held in online scam centers and hold those responsible for these horrendous acts to account. In July, Cambodia’s Prime Minister banned the establishment of new casinos in the Kep and Kampot provinces in the south of Cambodia. Only the existing casinos at Bokor Mountain will be exempted. The ban was in place “for the sake of cultural and religious conservation or other necessities,” according to Cambodia’s own Law on Management of Commercial Gaming of 2020.
