Cambodian businessman and senator Ly Yong Phat has pledged his full backing for the government's drive to wipe out online scams, calling technology-driven fraud a serious transnational crime that endangers ordinary people, harms legitimate businesses and tarnishes Cambodia's image abroad.

Yong Phat said he supports the government's policies and firm actions aimed at shutting down every location and network involved in technology-enabled scams in the country. He declared zero tolerance for online scam crimes, saying there would be no exceptions, and voiced support for the two-day International Conference on Combating Online Scams, which opened in Phnom Penh on September 23 under the chairmanship of Prime Minister Hun Manet.

He warned that the crime puts the population at risk, damages Cambodia's business climate, erodes investor confidence and hurts the nation's reputation. As a businessman and investor, he said he is ready to work with the government, law enforcement and international partners to protect the public, preserve the country's standing and help build a clean digital future.

His remarks echoed a key theme of Manet's opening speech: investors, property owners, recruiters and other business figures must play their part in stopping criminal networks from abusing legitimate commercial activity.

"Cambodia will never be a safe haven for online scams," the prime minister said. "Cambodia will not allow criminal syndicates to undermine our country's progress and the livelihoods of over 17 million Cambodian people."

Manet noted that the crime did not start in Cambodia and is not limited to the kingdom. "Accountability must be proven through uncompromising internal actions," he said.

He said modern anti-scam laws must go after entire criminal networks, including ringleaders, investors, recruiters, property owners and others who knowingly assist their activities.

Cambodia set up the Commission on Combating Online Scams under Manet's direct leadership in February 2025 and passed the Law on Combating Online Scams in April 2026.

"We treat law enforcement as a standing national security obligation and not a public relations campaign," the prime minister said. He announced that the authorities had broken up all large-scale scam compounds in Cambodia, while warning that criminal groups were trying to regroup in smaller, decentralised operations.

Yong Phat's public pledge carries personal weight, as he has previously denied Thai media reports linking him and his businesses to alleged cybercrime and money laundering.

Speaking in November 2025, he rejected claims that Thai authorities had raided 36 properties and frozen assets worth 400 million baht, roughly $12.3 million, said to be connected to online scams.

He said he had run legal casino businesses for more than 20 years and rented out some buildings to third parties after the operations closed during the Covid-19 pandemic.

"I don't operate scam centres. I built my company with my own hands, and I have always contributed to Cambodia's growth," he said.