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Cambodia

The latest news, analysis and opinion on Cambodia. In-depth analysis, industry insights and expert opinion.

Capital

Phnom Penh

Head of State

King Norodom Sihamoni

Head of Government

Prime Minister Hun Manet

Plush toys resembling Hong Kong street snacks were a hit at the Lunar New Year fair at Victoria Park, Causeway Bay. Photo: Edmond So

Hong Kong society

Curry fishball toys a hit as Hong Kong nostalgia shines at Lunar New Year fair

Vendors say locally designed Hong Kong-themed merchandise drew in customers at Victoria Park’s Lunar New Year fair.

16 Feb 2026 - 10:45PM

Scams and swindles

Opinion | Cambodia’s scam factory survivors find no escape in freedom

15 Feb 2026 - 12:00PM

United Nations

Opinion | More than funding, the UN needs restructuring

15 Feb 2026 - 5:30AM

Asean

Asian Angle | How Asean can resolve its Myanmar dilemma post-election

Asean should not discard the Five-Point Consensus, but translate it into a politically astute strategy of conditional engagement.

14 Feb 2026 - 12:30PMvideocam

Vote counting takes place on January 25 in Yangon for Myanmar’s general election. Photo: Kyodo

Thailand

Thai PM agrees to form coalition with Thaksin-backed Pheu Thai

The 2 parties were previously coalition partners, until PM Anutin pulled out over a Cambodia border dispute scandal last June.

13 Feb 2026 - 6:09PMvideocam

SCMP Highlights

Free Disneyland tickets for helpers; Chen Zhi’s extradition: 7 highlights

From free Disneyland tickets for Hong Kong’s helpers to China’s link to Southeast Asia, here are highlights from SCMP’s recent reporting.

13 Feb 2026 - 1:12PM

Scams and swindles

More Southeast Asian human trafficking gangs use crypto to move illegal funds

The transactions are linked to activities such as forced labour recruited by scammers and international escort services, a report says.

16 Feb 2026 - 4:48PMvideocam

Soldiers raid the KK Park online scam centre in Myawaddy township, Karen state, Myanmar, last year. Photo: AP

Vietnam

Why tourists are choosing Vietnam, over Thailand and Cambodia in 2026

At a time when other popular parts of Asia are struggling with dwindling tourist numbers, how is Vietnam ⁠hitting record numbers of visitors?

12 Feb 2026 - 6:00PM

Defence

What US lifting of arms embargo on Cambodia means for defence ties

Analysts say Cambodia is likely to make only modest US arms purchases given its limited budget, and rely on Chinese weaponry for now.

10 Feb 2026 - 7:07PMvideocam

South Korea

UK, US cybercrime cooperation ‘continues’ after Chen Zhi extradition to China

A senior Cambodian official tells SCMP that Phnom Penh is collaborating with Beijing, Washington and London in the investigations.

10 Feb 2026 - 5:39PMvideocam

Billionaire businessman Chen Zhi arrives in Beijing under armed police escort on January 7 to face cybercrime accusations. Photo: AFP

Scams and swindles

Opinion | Cambodia is in a frontline battle against transnational scam syndicates

Targeted due to geography, Cambodia is on the front foot now, dismantling scam compounds, rescuing victims and prosecuting criminals.

10 Feb 2026 - 5:30AMvideocam

In a November 12 raid, the Cambodian authorities rounded up thousands at an online fraud compound in Bavet City, the largest city in the southeastern province of Svay Rieng, which shares a border with Vietnam. Photo: Handout

Tourism

Women-only travel tour to Vietnam sparks adventure and sisterhood

Amid growing demand for safe, small-group female travel, 17 women travelled with US-based AdventureWomen to explore Vietnam’s treasures.

9 Feb 2026 - 12:20PM

Thailand

Conservatives storm to victory in Thailand’s election

The Bhumjaithai Party is forecast to win nearly 200 seats as People’s Party concedes election.

9 Feb 2026 - 2:43PMvideocam

US immigration

‘Deported but not defeated’: the Southeast Asians cast out of Trump’s US

Born in a Thai refugee camp and raised in Texas, Kham Paneboun is now stateless in Laos, one of thousands punished again for old crimes.

8 Feb 2026 - 8:00AMvideocam

US federal agents enter a residential building in Minneapolis, Minnesota, on Thursday. Photo: AFP

2025 Cambodia-Thailand conflict

Cambodians lose homes as Thailand makes gains following clashes

Bangkok insists it has merely reclaimed land that was part of Thailand and had been occupied by Cambodians for years.

7 Feb 2026 - 5:28PM

Meas Kimheng gestures in front of her house, damaged during clashes between Thai and Cambodian soldiers, in Prey Chan village in Banteay Meanchey province on Thursday. Photo: AFP

Scams and swindles

Scripts, bank details and military rules: Cambodian scam compound secrets

Mostly run by Chinese criminal gangs and staffed partly by trafficking victims, these complexes have proliferated across Indochina.

7 Feb 2026 - 3:57PMvideocam

Singapore

Singapore Airshow: airlines ‘crying out loud’ for planes amid supply crisis

With Boeing and Airbus set back by production bottlenecks, airlines are eager for more supply to tap Southeast Asia’s potential, analysts say.

6 Feb 2026 - 11:45PM

Thailand

‘Still handsome’ Abhisit breathes new life into Thailand’s oldest party

Although the ex-prime minister trails behind other candidates in support, he has helped the Democrats win back conservative voters.

4 Feb 2026 - 3:37PMvideocam

Democrat Party prime ministerial candidate Abhisit Vejjajiva (centre) walks through a market in Bangkok during an election campaign rally on January 27. Photo: Reuters

South Korea

‘Ruin you’: Cambodians outraged by South Korean president’s anti-scam threat

Critics said Lee Jae Myung should have posted in Chinese, not Khmer, as his warning to foreign syndicates sparked anger across Cambodia.

3 Feb 2026 - 3:53PM

Thailand

Inside an abandoned Cambodian scam centre seized by Thai troops

Fake law enforcement uniforms from nations including China and Singapore were found alongside mock police sets used to intimidate victims.

5 Feb 2026 - 2:02PMvideocam

Crime in China

China moves to boost cybercrime penalties by adding exit ban after sentences

Amid cross-border crackdown, draft Cybercrime Prevention and Control Law bill lists exit bans among tools to punish cybercriminals.

2 Feb 2026 - 10:24PMvideocam

A draft bill announced by China’s public security ministry aims to impose an exit ban on Chinese found guilty of cross-border online crimes for up to three years after serving their sentence. Photo: Shutterstock

Hong Kong courts

Mainland Chinese student jailed for 3 months for cheating in TOEFL test

Huang Xinyi paid someone else to take test on her behalf in Cambodia and submitted results to Hong Kong’s Lingnan University so she could graduate.

2 Feb 2026 - 7:26PM

Student Huang Xinyi has been sentenced to jail for submitting a fraudulent TOEFL test result in order to graduate from Hong Kong’s Lingnan University. Photo: K. Y. Cheng

China-Asean relations

Nearly 1,800 Chinese among thousands held as Cambodian police raid scam compound

Action ‘truly reflects’ that Cambodian government will never loosen crackdowns on online scammers, interior ministry spokesman says.

1 Feb 2026 - 8:56PMvideocam

South Korea

South Korea forced to act after Cambodian worker’s death in freezing dorm

Seoul has apologised and pledged to improve foreign worker housing following the woman’s death in a makeshift dwelling in 2020.

30 Jan 2026 - 4:01PM

Diplomacy

Base instincts: why US warship visit won’t calm fears over Cambodian port

The USS Cincinnati is the first US warship to dock at Ream Naval Base since its China-funded expansion was completed in April last year.

30 Jan 2026 - 6:10PMvideocam

USS Cincinnati docks at Ream Naval Base’s pier in Sihanoukville on Saturday. Photo: AP

Asean

Just 1 visa to rule them all? How European-style pass could help Asean tourism

While Asean members such as Malaysia and Vietnam have shown strong post-pandemic growth, tourist numbers have lagged in the Philippines.

29 Jan 2026 - 2:41PM

Tourists have fun in the Cambugahay Falls on the Philippine island of Siquijor on December 10 last year. Photo: AFP

India

Nipah cases in India raise regional anxiety but experts say escalation unlikely

The virus’s high fatality rate has prompted precautionary measures across Asia, even as analysts say the outbreak remains limited.

28 Jan 2026 - 8:08PMvideocam

Indonesia

‘Cruellest’ practice: Elephant rides banned in Bali parks over welfare concerns

Asian countries, such as Cambodia and India, have ended commercial elephant rides due to the same concerns.

27 Jan 2026 - 5:49PM

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Cambodia

Curry fishball toys a hit as Hong Kong nostalgia shines at Lunar New Year fair

Vendors say locally designed Hong Kong-themed merchandise drew in customers at Victoria Park’s Lunar New Year fair.

.css-1m2rp1p{color:#34b8b5;}Opinion | Cambodia’s scam factory survivors find no escape in freedom

Opinion | More than funding, the UN needs restructuring

Asian Angle | How Asean can resolve its Myanmar dilemma post-election

Asean should not discard the Five-Point Consensus, but translate it into a politically astute strategy of conditional engagement.

Thai PM agrees to form coalition with Thaksin-backed Pheu Thai

The 2 parties were previously coalition partners, until PM Anutin pulled out over a Cambodia border dispute scandal last June.

Free Disneyland tickets for helpers; Chen Zhi’s extradition: 7 highlights

From free Disneyland tickets for Hong Kong’s helpers to China’s link to Southeast Asia, here are highlights from SCMP’s recent reporting.

More Southeast Asian human trafficking gangs use crypto to move illegal funds

The transactions are linked to activities such as forced labour recruited by scammers and international escort services, a report says.

Why tourists are choosing Vietnam, over Thailand and Cambodia in 2026

At a time when other popular parts of Asia are struggling with dwindling tourist numbers, how is Vietnam ⁠hitting record numbers of visitors?

What US lifting of arms embargo on Cambodia means for defence ties

Analysts say Cambodia is likely to make only modest US arms purchases given its limited budget, and rely on Chinese weaponry for now.

UK, US cybercrime cooperation ‘continues’ after Chen Zhi extradition to China

A senior Cambodian official tells SCMP that Phnom Penh is collaborating with Beijing, Washington and London in the investigations.

Opinion | Cambodia is in a frontline battle against transnational scam syndicates

Targeted due to geography, Cambodia is on the front foot now, dismantling scam compounds, rescuing victims and prosecuting criminals.

Women-only travel tour to Vietnam sparks adventure and sisterhood

Amid growing demand for safe, small-group female travel, 17 women travelled with US-based AdventureWomen to explore Vietnam’s treasures.

Conservatives storm to victory in Thailand’s election

The Bhumjaithai Party is forecast to win nearly 200 seats as People’s Party concedes election.

‘Deported but not defeated’: the Southeast Asians cast out of Trump’s US

Born in a Thai refugee camp and raised in Texas, Kham Paneboun is now stateless in Laos, one of thousands punished again for old crimes.

Cambodians lose homes as Thailand makes gains following clashes

Bangkok insists it has merely reclaimed land that was part of Thailand and had been occupied by Cambodians for years.

Scripts, bank details and military rules: Cambodian scam compound secrets

Mostly run by Chinese criminal gangs and staffed partly by trafficking victims, these complexes have proliferated across Indochina.

Singapore Airshow: airlines ‘crying out loud’ for planes amid supply crisis

With Boeing and Airbus set back by production bottlenecks, airlines are eager for more supply to tap Southeast Asia’s potential, analysts say.

‘Still handsome’ Abhisit breathes new life into Thailand’s oldest party

Although the ex-prime minister trails behind other candidates in support, he has helped the Democrats win back conservative voters.

‘Ruin you’: Cambodians outraged by South Korean president’s anti-scam threat

Critics said Lee Jae Myung should have posted in Chinese, not Khmer, as his warning to foreign syndicates sparked anger across Cambodia.

Inside an abandoned Cambodian scam centre seized by Thai troops

Fake law enforcement uniforms from nations including China and Singapore were found alongside mock police sets used to intimidate victims.

China moves to boost cybercrime penalties by adding exit ban after sentences

Amid cross-border crackdown, draft Cybercrime Prevention and Control Law bill lists exit bans among tools to punish cybercriminals.

Mainland Chinese student jailed for 3 months for cheating in TOEFL test

Huang Xinyi paid someone else to take test on her behalf in Cambodia and submitted results to Hong Kong’s Lingnan University so she could graduate.

Nearly 1,800 Chinese among thousands held as Cambodian police raid scam compound

Action ‘truly reflects’ that Cambodian government will never loosen crackdowns on online scammers, interior ministry spokesman says.

South Korea forced to act after Cambodian worker’s death in freezing dorm

Seoul has apologised and pledged to improve foreign worker housing following the woman’s death in a makeshift dwelling in 2020.

Base instincts: why US warship visit won’t calm fears over Cambodian port

The USS Cincinnati is the first US warship to dock at Ream Naval Base since its China-funded expansion was completed in April last year.

Just 1 visa to rule them all? How European-style pass could help Asean tourism

While Asean members such as Malaysia and Vietnam have shown strong post-pandemic growth, tourist numbers have lagged in the Philippines.

Nipah cases in India raise regional anxiety but experts say escalation unlikely

The virus’s high fatality rate has prompted precautionary measures across Asia, even as analysts say the outbreak remains limited.

‘Cruellest’ practice: Elephant rides banned in Bali parks over welfare concerns

Asian countries, such as Cambodia and India, have ended commercial elephant rides due to the same concerns.

Opinion | Cambodia’s scam factory survivors find no escape in freedom