240 Chinese suspects repatriated from Cambodia

As many as 240 Chinese suspects involved in gambling and fraud have been repatriated from Cambodia to China, in the latest efforts by both countries to combat cross-border crimes.

Escorted by Chinese police, the suspects arrived in Taiyuan, Shanxi province, on Thursday on three civilian charter flights in the second joint repatriation of Chinese suspects by Chinese and Cambodian police, China's Ministry of Public Security said in a news release.

Cambodian police recently seized a park involved in gambling and fraud in the country's capital Phnom Penh, and captured hundreds of suspects from a number of countries.

Among them were more than 500 Chinese suspects, including the 240 who have been repatriated.

The ministry said the repatriation of the rest of the Chinese suspects will be completed in different batches, and that it has asked Shanxi's Department of Public Security to escort them on charter flights and investigate the case.

Chinese and Cambodian police conducted this year's first joint escorted repatriation in April, when more than 680 Chinese suspects were sent back to China.

During the 2024 Conference of Global Public Security Cooperation Forum held in September in Lianyungang, Jiangsu province, China and Cambodia reached an agreement to further strengthen cooperation on tackling crimes related to gambling and fraud.

Thursday's repatriation came a week after the ministry said 763 Chinese suspects in Myanmar engaging in cross-border telecommunications and cyberspace fraud had been handed over to China, as a result of cooperation between the two countries' police forces.

China's police has kept up its efforts to crack down on cross-border and online gambling, as well as telecommunications and cyberspace fraud in recent years. It has deepened international law enforcement cooperation, dismantling a large number of transnational criminal organizations and capturing many offenders.

The ministry said Chinese police will continue to strengthen law enforcement cooperation with relevant countries and regions, and continue special campaigns to crack down on such crimes and protect the safety of the people's lives and property.

It also advised the public to avoid engaging in gambling overseas or online, and to remain vigilant against new types of fraud schemes.