Why Thailand is cutting off Cambodia’s internet

The directive, issued by Thailand’s National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission (NBTC), aims to disrupt cross-border scam networks exploiting Thai citizens, CTN News reports.

The move follows rising concern over online fraud schemes operated from Poipet, a Cambodian town bordering Thailand’s Sa Kaeo province.

“This is a big step to protect Thai citizens from scammers,” said NBTC Deputy Secretary-General Trairat Viriyasirikul at a press conference.

Under the new regulations, telecom companies have been directed to terminate all data and voice services within 15 days in border areas, particularly near the Khlong Luek crossing. Internet access will be restricted in inland towns, with telcos also required to submit SIM card sales data every 15 days and justify any cross-border services with detailed documentation.

The decision comes in response to the growing threat of transnational cybercrime, which Thai police say has declined slightly since enforcement began. Officials, however, note limited cooperation from Cambodian authorities. “We have identified major scam hubs in Poipet, but Cambodia has done little to intervene,” said Pol Gen Thatchai Pitaneelaboot, inspector-general of the Royal Thai Police.

International concerns over Cambodia’s role

An Amnesty International report released on June 26 accuses Cambodia of allowing its territory to become a haven for organised cybercrime. The 18-month investigation revealed that many scam centres, of which 53 were identified in the country, operate like detention facilities, guarded with razor wire and armed personnel, with many victims trafficked from abroad, who have faced forced labour, torture, and abuse.

“Cambodia is allowing a billion-dollar shadow economy to flourish,” said Amnesty Secretary-General Agnes Callamard. The report estimates that Cambodia’s scam industry generates over $12.5 billion annually, nearly half of the country’s GDP.

One survivor, an 18-year-old Thai woman named Lisa, was promised a hotel job but instead was trafficked to Phnom Penh and beaten for trying to escape. “They told me they’d keep beating me until I stopped screaming,” she recalled.

Diplomatic fallout

Cambodia has remained silent on both Amnesty’s findings and Thailand’s internet shutdown. Earlier this year, Prime Minister Hun Manet set up a cybercrime task force, but its actions have been limited. Critics say powerful elites, including Cambodian politicians, are complicit in or benefit from the scam economy.

With over 200,000 people believed to be trafficked into scam networks across Myanmar and Cambodia, international pressure is mounting. The U.S. and China have both urged Phnom Penh to act, but few arrests or closures have followed.