Amnesty Urges Indonesia to Press Cambodia on Online Scam Slavery Investigation

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Amnesty International urges the Indonesian government to investigate allegations of slavery and torture experienced by Indonesian citizens in Cambodia. Usman Hamid, the Executive Director of Amnesty International Indonesia, stated that Indonesia should be more proactive in pushing Cambodia to investigate these international crimes. "The state has a constitutional responsibility to protect its citizens, both at home and abroad," said Usman in a written statement on Thursday, June 26, 2025.

Amnesty emphasizes the importance of diplomatic pressure on Cambodia and the strengthening of the role of the Indonesian Embassy in Phnom Penh to provide real and prompt protection to Indonesian victims of human trafficking. "Indonesia has a strategic position in Southeast Asia. There must be strong regional cooperation to combat cross-border crimes that victimize thousands of job seekers," said Usman.

Amnesty International's latest report reveals alleged practices of slavery, human trafficking, and torture experienced by thousands of foreign workers, including Indonesian citizens, in dozens of online fraud complexes in Cambodia. Amnesty International's 18-month research shows that the Cambodian government not only failed to protect the victims but is also directly involved in or allowed these systemic human rights violations to occur.

The 240-page report entitled "I Was Someone Else's Property" mentions at least 53 fraud complexes spread across 16 cities in Cambodia, where thousands of people from various countries, including Indonesia, are forced to work under threat of violence.

Daniel, one of the Indonesian citizens who became a victim of human trafficking and slavery there, only realized that he was recruited to work in the online fraud industry. However, Daniel did not expect that he would be "sold" from one complex to another, confined, forced to work, and subjected to torture and other ill-treatment.

"Please... I can't sleep," wrote Daniel in his message to Amnesty, quoted from Amnesty International's official statement on Thursday, June 26, 2025. He described the condition of KK01, one of the complexes in the Koh Kong Province, as a prison with armed guards, strict surveillance, and torture of workers considered disobedient.

Daniel was released in 2023 but returned to Cambodia due to economic difficulties in his home country. In his new complex, he initially felt free, but was later sold to another boss and again forced to work in inhumane conditions.

Survivors recounted former casino and hotel buildings transformed into forced labor camps, complete with barbed wire, surveillance cameras, and armed guards. Escape was nearly impossible. Those who attempted to flee experienced torture and even death.

Lisa, a survivor from Thailand, was promised an administrative job at a luxury hotel. Instead, she was smuggled into Cambodia, beaten, and forced to work for 11 months. Another survivor, Siti, claimed to have witnessed other victims being beaten until their bodies turned blue, then sold to another complex.

Amnesty states that the Cambodian authorities were aware of the existence of these complexes but failed to take action or even show patterns of collusion. Following the raids, over two-thirds of the 53 identified complexes are still operating. "The Cambodian government can stop these violations, but chooses not to," said Montse Ferrer, Amnesty's Regional Research Director. "Police interventions are just a facade," she said.

After being rescued, victims are often reconfined in inadequate immigration detention centers, without access to recovery or legal assistance. For example, Daniel experienced detention for nearly two months after being released from the complex.

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