SEOUL, Oct. 14 (Yonhap) — Lawlessness, assaults, torture and deaths are commonplace in Cambodia’s notorious criminal compounds, witnesses and their acquaintances told Yonhap News Agency on Tuesday, amid numerous reports of South Koreans being victimized by online scammers operating in the Southeast Asian country.
Testimonies have also surfaced that about one victim dies daily from torture and assaults in the Cambodian criminal camps, called “Wenchi.”
Some of the victims are sold to organized crime syndicates operating in Cambodia’s border towns, such as Poipet and Bavet, and have their organs removed when they can no longer work or have no money to extort.
According to the interviews with the witnesses who had worked for Cambodian crime rings, torture, such as pulling out fingernails or cutting off fingers, is carried out in their compounds and human trafficking, where victims are sold to other camps for money, frequently occurs.
Cambodia’s criminal camps vary greatly in size, committing various online scam operations, such as romance scams, voice phishing and unlisted stock trading. One official estimates that there are approximately 400 such criminal rings in Cambodia.
“There are two reasons why South Koreans are needed in the crime rings. One is bank accounts are needed to launder their criminal proceeds. The other is to engage in fraudulent telemarketing, chatting and customer service targeting South Koreans,” one witness said.
“Not all regions in Cambodia are the same. Unlike Phnom Penh and Sihanoukville, border towns like Poipet and Bavet are among the most dangerous and the last places people are sent to.”
A Korean resident in Cambodia agreed, saying, “People who perform poorly in Phnom Penh or Sihanoukville, or run into debt at a casino, are sold to Poipet or Bavet. There are a lot of people like that.”
Regarding a South Korean college student who was reportedly tortured to death near Bokor Mountain in Kampot Province in August, the resident said, “People usually go there to sell their bank accounts. But they get trapped there and end up doing illegal things or even losing their lives.”
He went on to say assault and torture deaths are commonplace in the crime compounds.
“It’s not uncommon for people to die from assault. About one person dies every day. It’s not just South Koreans who are targeted. There are also people of various nationalities, including Vietnamese, Indonesian, Malaysian and Chinese.”
Another witness said that some victims accused of poor performance are sold for organ trafficking after being assaulted.
“If victims go into debt and fail to produce a certain performance, they are forced to sell their organs. They first have their eyeballs removed because corneas are relatively easy to transplant and their unit price is quite expensive,” the witness said.
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