Prime Minister Hun Manet has insisted that Cambodia's fight against online fraud is a serious undertaking rather than a performative exercise, while warning that the fight against transnational crime must not be used to justify violating another country's borders.

Manet was speaking on September 23 as he opened the International Conference on Combating Online Scams (ICCOS) in Phnom Penh, which brings together roughly 500 delegates from 27 countries, along with representatives from seven international UN agencies and NGOs.

"Cambodia will never serve as a haven for online scam operations," he said, describing the trade as a post-pandemic development that runs counter to the country's cultural values and identity, and vowing that criminal groups would not be allowed to jeopardise progress and the livelihoods of more than 17 million Cambodians.

He pointed out that the scam industry neither originated in Cambodia nor is limited to it. The country's initial exposure was tied to the expansion of online gambling and casino-linked businesses, with criminal networks quickly adapting and moving across borders.

Manet said Cambodia takes full responsibility for guarding its borders, upholding its laws and restoring the credibility of its national jurisdiction, adding that accountability must be demonstrated through uncompromising action at home.

"We regard law enforcement as an ongoing national security duty, not a public relations exercise. Our focus is on wiping out criminal networks for good and stopping them from resurfacing," he said.

The prime minister noted that Cambodia has enacted anti-scam legislation and cooperated with law enforcement agencies from China, the United States, Japan, South Korea and Australia, as well as ASEAN members, other partner nations and international bodies such as UNODC, Interpol and IOM.

In an apparent reference to Thailand — which last year cited the fight against online scams as a rationale for occupying Cambodian territory — Manet said efforts to combat transnational crime must not be turned into a weapon.

"Online scam issues should never be used by one nation against another, nor should anti-scam goals serve as an excuse for any country to use force against or occupy another nation's sovereign territory, in clear breach of international law. Regrettably, this has occurred in parts of Cambodia's border with Thailand," he said.

Instead, he argued, the fight against online scams should encourage countries to cooperate in good faith and with mutual respect for shared gain, noting that no single nation can tackle cross-border challenges on its own.

Manet put forward five priorities for stronger international cooperation: sharing intelligence in real time, conducting more sophisticated financial investigations, aligning legal and operational frameworks, building public-private partnerships and protecting victims.

"Our shared resolve to take on this complex challenge must be backed by concrete, collective action," he said. "In that spirit of mutual trust and shared responsibility, Cambodia looks forward to its international partners endorsing the Phnom Penh Declaration on September 24 — a demonstration of our collective commitment to sever the chain and eliminate online scams once and for all."