Sinorn Thang

Freelance Journalist

[Politikoffee @Politikoffee]

We're seeking advice and discussion with veterans on how to stay principled, grounded, and optimistic in an age of attention-seeking, instant gratification, and shortcut success, particularly when #democracy appears to be losing ground in the contest of ideas with #autocracy.

[Jacob in Cambodia 🇺🇸 🇰🇭 @jacobincambodia]

"I was forced to shock them on their genitals." Inside Cambodia's scam compounds, Cambodians are doing the dirty work.

A 27-year-old Cambodian former security guard told The Diplomat he was hired through a Facebook ad for a regular guard job on Bokor Mountain. By his second night, he was ordered to deliver electric shocks and beatings to Chinese workers who missed their scam targets. He said the compound held at least 600 Chinese workers in a warehouse-like facility with layered security gates. During the January crackdown, he never saw authorities inspect the site.

Sinorn Thang's reporting goes well beyond that one account. A former scam worker named Da Long described spending nearly four years rotating through compounds in Sihanoukville, O'Smach, Bavet, and Kandal province, all sites flagged by CyberScam Monitor and U.S. reports. Long said he personally defrauded thousands of Filipino clients through fake loan schemes, and later ran pig-butchering operations that pulled in $18 million a month for a single company. He said authorities routinely warned operators days before raids. "Every crackdown is only done in small locations," he told The Diplomat.

And the recruitment hasn't stopped. The Diplomat found active Telegram groups posting daily job ads for "call center staff," "translators," and "AI models" in Poipet, Bavet, Sihanoukville, Koh Kong, and Mondulkiri. One recruiter in Poipet said operations were running normally as of late February because "we gave enough money to the police." An 18-year-old woman who started a scam job in Poipet in mid-January, during the height of the raids, described being assigned to run fake loan services targeting Filipinos within days. The Interior Ministry dismissed reports of ongoing recruitment as "fake news." Meanwhile, the government still says the industry will be eliminated by April.

[Danielle K-O @DanielleRose84]

Really insightful new reporting from @sinorn_thang, who spoke to Cambodians who worked as a security guard, scam worker and recruiter respectively about their experiences - no trafficking but still brutal labor issues - inside scam compounds. https://t.co/782XwaslVZ

[Sinorn Thang @sinorn_thang]

My colleague and I were detained for two hours while reporting on women’s vulnerability during the Cambodia–Thailand border fighting. The story is now out, centering displaced women facing UXO, economic collapse, trauma, and pressure to migrate.

https://t.co/tyX1FBdflC

[Sinorn Thang @sinorn_thang]

Business operators questioned the National Bank's responsibility in allowing a revoked license Huione to operate for a year.
https://t.co/eoV52bxUr5

[Sinorn Thang @sinorn_thang]

https://t.co/vUwiPzeTRh #Kiripost #Cambodia #Dailynews #latestnews

[Sinorn Thang @sinorn_thang]

Global Rice Market Turmoil Sends Shockwaves to Cambodia’s Rice Sector https://t.co/miLsHjczKt #Kiripost #Cambodia #Dailynews #latestnews

[CyberScamMonitor @CyberScamWatch]

CAMBODIA/CHINA: 130 people deported to China after being detained in raids on online scam sites. https://t.co/sxjfttlEwi

[Léa Pé @ILea_Pe]

NEW with my teammate @sinorn_thang 🍃

[Phoung Vantha @VanthaPhoung]

We’ve been working together for years, but now, shocking news—Cambodian authorities are not welcoming “A Good Person”.

It’s disheartening to lose another resourceful individual who dedicated his life to shedding light on the pressing environmental issues in Cambodia.

[Sao Phal Niseiy @saophalniseiy]

A critical question arises: why did it take the Environment Ministry, and other responsible government agencies, so long to acknowledge the severity of Cambodia's air pollution crisis, particularly in the capital?

https://t.co/mS6HOLnd9h

[CyberScamMonitor @CyberScamWatch]

CAMBODIA: Report on escape of Vietnamese man from Bokor Mountain scam compound. He first worked in Bavet before being transferred to Kampot. Man says he was beaten after someone contacted police for help. He was eventually handed to police. 1/2 https://t.co/QR9PX3fd5c

[CyberScamMonitor @CyberScamWatch]

CAMBODIA/INDONESIA: 🇮🇩 Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirms it is investigating video circulating online of citizen from Riau Islands who claims to be held captive and forced to work in Poipet, Cambodia. Embassy has made contact with the man. https://t.co/gGK9UNTKgO

[Marissa Carruthers @LittleMsChief]

Charges against journalist Phat Horn​ have been dropped after he admitted wrongdoing in his reporting. The arrest has prompted calls for authorities to use press laws rather than criminal charges, stating "journalism is not a crime"

https://t.co/XLI7XDRKOA

[CyberScamMonitor @CyberScamWatch]

INDIA/CAMBODIA: Indian man working with Chinese Cambodia-based syndicate arrested for role in law enforcement impersonation scam that extorted almost $500k from an Indian doctor. https://t.co/6d2VzawxjO

[Kiripost @Kiripost]

Online Journalist Seriously Injured in Shooting by Unknown Gunman in Siem Reap https://t.co/Q2qcr4t7yz #Kiripost #Cambodia #Dailynews #latestnews

[Danielle K-O @DanielleRose84]

Forest activists arrested while investigating logging in Stung Treng province, Cambodia https://t.co/YHVDhDNNJ6

[Sinorn Thang @sinorn_thang]

I was honored and delighted to participate in the Asia Media Forum 2024 workshop, a very meaningful dialogue and time connection journalists together from Asia regional.

[Tweet Cambodia @tweetcambodia]

CPP: We run everything now and we still can't stop the crimes at the highest level

https://t.co/PsWFW8XCQq