Cambodian police and soldiers guarded scam compounds where trafficked workers were beaten, shocked and raped, Amnesty alleges

Amnesty International's report, drawing on 151 survivor interviews and visits to 82 compounds, names five private security firms — among them Leap Somnang, controlled by a serving Royal Cambodian Armed Forces colonel — as enabling the confinement of an estimated 100,000 trafficked workers across at least 23 sites. Guards pursued those who escaped, held people in "dark rooms" and kept watch as managers raped women. Spokespeople for the Interior Ministry, National Police and Defence Ministry all refused to answer questions.

Leap Somnang's chairman Ban Sophat occupied the role publicly while holding the rank of colonel; Deputy Police Chief Lay Channy's phone numbers appeared on ads for Best Security.

Amnesty secretary general Agnès Callamard said the findings expose 'long-suspected links between Cambodia's billion-dollar criminal scamming networks and politically connected figures who have remained largely beyond scrutiny.'

Despite government claims that all large sites had been closed, guards were still operating at certain compounds well into a nationwide crackdown that began in July 2025.