Cambodia's Seven Seas development in Koh Kong province recently issued a statement via its official Facebook account, stressing its firm opposition to online scams and all forms of illegal and criminal activity, and saying it will actively work with the Cambodian government and relevant departments to crack down on telecom and online fraud.
Seven Seas said it will continue to refine its risk-prevention and control mechanisms in the future, fully cooperate with the relevant authorities in carrying out investigations and law-enforcement work, maintain safety and order inside the park and in surrounding communities, and protect the legitimate rights and interests of all parties. The statement stressed that the rule of law and integrity are the bedrock of the region's long-term and healthy development.
The statement has drawn attention because it comes amid the alleged involvement of the Long Bay development area within the Seven Seas project in online-scam cases. Cambodia's anti-online-scam committee previously disclosed that law-enforcement officers had found in Long Bay several buildings suspected of involvement in telecom and online fraud activities. Before the officers arrived, the relevant criminal suspects had fled the scene, leaving behind what appeared to be evidence of illegal activity.
On September 5 this year, Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet visited Koh Kong province to inspect the relevant controlled sites, ordering the relevant departments to tighten on-site management, properly preserve evidence, and continue an in-depth investigation. The case continues to attract outside attention.
Long Bay is one of the projects within the large-scale Seven Seas integrated development zone, in which the Zheng Heng Group (正恒集团) is a development participant. The British government previously sanctioned the Zheng Heng Group over allegations that sites linked to Long Bay were involved in forced labor and online-scam activity; the group has rejected the accusations.
Seven Seas' public statement this time sends a signal of cooperation with the government in combating online scams. However, the statement does not specify the management relationship or allocation of responsibility for the implicated Long Bay buildings, and the relevant facts still await further clarification through the law-enforcement investigation.
