Cambodia decries US sanctions against one of its top tycoons implicated in forced labor
Cambodia has decried newly imposed U.S. sanctions on one of its tycoons who has been implicated in forced labor, human trafficking and lucrative online scams
PHNOM PENH, Cambodia (AP) — Cambodia on Friday decried newly imposed U.S. sanctions on one of the country's top tycoons who has been implicated in allegations of forced labor, human trafficking and lucrative online scams.
Cambodia’s foreign ministry expressed “deep regret over the unjust decision” to sanction Ly Yong Phat and suggested that the action could hurt bilateral relations. Ly Yong Phat, one of Cambodia’s richest men, is also a Cambodian senator and a leading member of the ruling Cambodian People's Party of Prime Minister Hun Manet.
The U.S. Treasury Department on Thursday imposed sanctions on Ly Yong Phat and five of his businesses “for their role in serious human rights abuses related to the treatment of workers subjected to forced labor in online investment scam operations.”
“Victims forced to run virtual currency investment scams and other online schemes are often lured by fraudulent jobs and promises of free housing,” said the statement. “Instead, they find themselves forced to run scam operations for criminal organizations under horrifying working and living conditions.”
