across two provinces on Thursday and Friday, the country’s information minister announced.

The arrests, which took place in Kandal province on the outskirts of the capital Phnom Penh and in the northeastern province of Stung Treng, brought the total number of people detained since June 27 to 2,137, Information Minister Neth Pheaktra said in a statement.

Those detained in raids at 43 locations across the country included 429 Vietnamese nationals, 271 Indonesians, 589 Chinese, 57 Koreans, 70 Bangladeshis, and 42 Pakistanis, according to the statement. Other suspects were from Thailand, Laos, India, Nepal, the Philippines, and Myanmar.

The United Nations and other agencies estimate that cyberscams — most of them originating in Southeast Asia — generate billions of dollars annually for international criminal gangs. These networks lure victims worldwide by feigning friendship or promoting fake investment opportunities.

Neth Pheaktra emphasized that Cambodia’s crackdown “will absolutely continue, with a clear mandate from the top leadership to root out all illegal cybercrime activity — regardless of location or affiliation.”

He noted that the campaign has been bolstered by a directive issued Monday by Prime Minister Hun Manet, warning state officials at all levels that they face reassignment or dismissal if they fail to act decisively against cyberscams.

The latest arrests come on top of 2,418 others made in the first half of the year during raids on 18 alleged scam operations across the country, according to a report from the national police commissioner cited by Neth Pheaktra. Those earlier actions resulted in 73 prosecutions and the deportation of 2,322 foreign nationals, the report said. (Jamaica Gleaner)