The Thai military said it recovered extensive evidence of cross-border fraud at the O'Smach compound seized during last year’s clashes with Cambodia, including lists of targets, scam scripts and hundreds of SIM cards. Officials displayed documents and equipment from a bombed six-storey building and reported seizing 871 SIM cards, dozens of smartphones and fake police gear. Cambodia denied the allegations and said it is conducting its own crackdown on scam networks, pledging to eliminate the illicit industry before April. A December ceasefire halted weeks of intense border fighting between the two countries.
Thai Military Reveals Extensive Fraud Evidence at Cambodian O'Smach Compound
A room set up to imitate a Chinese police station inside the O'Smach casino, a compound used for scam operations at the Chong Chom-O'Smach border crossing, following clashes between Thailand and Cambodia along a disputed border area, in Samraong, Oddar Meanchey province, Cambodia, February 2, 2026. REUTERS/Chalinee Thirasupa
CHONG CHOM, Thailand / ODDAR MEANCHEY, Cambodia, Feb 2 (Reuters) — Thai military officials said on Monday they recovered a large trove of evidence linked to transnational fraud at the O'Smach compound in Cambodia, seized during clashes last year along the disputed border.
Briefing reporters and visiting foreign delegates in Surin province, senior Thai officers said the complex had sheltered thousands of people, many of them alleged victims of human trafficking who were reportedly forced to carry out scams under threat of punishment.
Scam compounds, which the Thai military said were used for scam operations in the O'Smach area at the Chong Chom–O’Smach border crossing, following clashes between Thailand and Cambodia along a disputed border area, in Samraong, Oddar Meanchey province, Cambodia, February 2, 2026. REUTERS/Chalinee Thirasupa
Soldiers escorted reporters through one of several buildings that had been bombed and subsequently occupied by Thai forces late last year. The six-storey block was scattered with documents, including long lists of apparent targets and contact details, as well as prepared scripts for scam calls and messages.
Evidence and Seizures
Thai officials said the items recovered at O'Smach included 871 SIM cards used for anonymous international communications, dozens of smartphones, counterfeit police insignia and police uniforms. Reporters also described several rooms arranged to resemble police offices from foreign countries, including Brazil, China and Australia.
Scam compounds, which the Thai military said were used for scam operations in the O'Smach area at the Chong Chom–O’Smach border crossing, following clashes between Thailand and Cambodia along a disputed border area, in Samraong, Oddar Meanchey province, Cambodia, February 2, 2026. REUTERS/Chalinee Thirasupa
Military Claims and Cambodian Response
O'Smach has previously been identified by foreign authorities, including the United States, as a base for organized scam operations involving trafficking and forced criminality.
"The reason we are showing this place today is that we want the world to see how it’s being used as a criminal base against humanity," Lieutenant General Teeranan Nandhakwang, director-general of the Royal Thai Army’s Directorate of Intelligence, told reporters.
Touch Sokhak, a spokesperson for Cambodia's interior ministry, said Thailand had used allegations about scam centres as a pretext for military action. He added that Cambodia is conducting a domestic crackdown on fraud operations and has pledged to eradicate the illicit industry before April.
Border Fighting and Ceasefire
Thailand and Cambodia halted weeks of intense border clashes in late December with a ceasefire — the second such truce in recent months — ending some of the worst fighting between the neighbours in years. During the clashes, Thai forces struck several casino complexes they said were scam compounds and alleged the sites were also used to store weapons or launch attacks.
This reporting reflects claims and counterclaims from both sides; investigations and independent verification of all allegations were not detailed in the military briefing.
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