Twenty-eight countries and seven international organizations adopted the Phnom Penh Declaration on September 24, 2026, a political agreement aimed at coordinating action against online scams, money laundering, human trafficking and transnational criminal networks operating digital fraud compounds. The declaration concluded the International Conference on Combating Online Scams (ICCOS-2026), held on September 23 and 24 in Phnom Penh, Cambodia.
The conference, hosted at the Sofitel Phnom Penh Phokeethra Hotel, was led by Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet and brought together governments, law enforcement bodies, financial institutions, technology companies and multilateral agencies. Organizations involved included INTERPOL and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime for Southeast Asia and the Pacific. The declaration establishes 11 commitments; strengthen international cooperation; disrupt criminal chains; freeze and recover criminal assets; use technology; reinforce laws and regulation; build capacity; expand public-private partnerships; protect trafficking victims; apply the principle of non-punishment for victims; prevent fraud and human trafficking; and physically dismantle scam compounds and their supporting infrastructure.
Sar Sokha
Countries confirmed as participants included Cambodia, Myanmar, Timor-Leste, Indonesia, Laos, the Philippines, Singapore, Uganda, the United Kingdom and Vietnam, alongside ASEAN representatives. Cambodia also highlighted cooperation with China, the United States, Japan, South Korea and Australia. A single consolidated official list of all 28 participating states was not published.
Chhay Sinarith
Deputy Prime Minister and Interior Minister Sar Sokha confirmed that Cambodia is considering the creation of a National Centre for Combating Online Scams. Between July 2025 and June 2026, Cambodian authorities intervened at 665 sites, inspected 28,512 locations, referred 268 cases to the courts, processed 2,773 suspects and deported 21,102 foreign nationals from 38 countries.
The operational response is coordinated by Chhay Sinarith, Senior Minister and Head of the Secretariat of the Ad-Hoc Commission for Combating Online Scams. By August 2026, Cambodia had also frozen more than US$300 million linked to these networks and sent 446 cases involving 3,927 suspects to the courts. The crackdown has also reached the gaming sector, 195 licensed casinos were investigated, resulting in 20 licence revocations, 29 suspensions and 23 expirations.
