23 South Koreans Detained In Cambodia For Illegally Operating An Online Gambling Site

by Jean Marie Abellana / Feb 10, 2016 12:56 PM EST

South Korean suspects used computers and internet to open an online gambling site (Photo by Patrick Lux/Getty Images)

According to a news report published in Xinhuanet Friday, Cambodian police officers were able to arrest 23 South Koreans after raiding a villa situated in the northwestern part of Phnom Penh. Reports said they were arrested for their alleged involvement in opening an online gambling site.

The suspects were sent to the court of law for due process and legal proceedings. Police officials said that the gambling site utilized the VoIP technology (Voice Over Internet Protocol), a method that allows users to perform voice calls using the Internet instead of a regular or analog phone connection. The suspects were reportedly extorting money and threatening victims in South Korea using the VoIP technology from Cambodia.

"Twenty-three South Koreans were detained, and more than 20 sets of desktop computers and other materials were seized as evidence," said Lieutenant General Y Sokhy, director of the Interior Ministry's Department for Combating Terrorism and Transnational Crimes.

Yonhap News reported on Friday that the South Korean embassy has coordinated with Cambodia through its diplomatic envoy "to provide the suspects with consular access after being informed of the arrest."

Moreover, South Korea officials planned to make the possible arrangements with the government of Cambodia so that the investigations and legal proceedings would be conducted in a "swift and fair" manner.

In 2014, the Cambodian police also raided a villa in the Tuol Kork district and arrested 15 South Korean men for their alleged involvement in illegitimate online football gambling. The Interior Ministry's Intelligence Unit Deputy Chief Pov Sopha told local reporters that they were able to seize a number of laptops and computers used by the suspects for their illegal activities.

According to the Global Times, online gambling is strictly prohibited in Cambodia. Anyone caught is immediately investigated and detained by the country's Intelligence Unit for investigation. In recent years, the country was able to arrest several groups of South Koreans, Chinese, Thais, Indonesians and Malaysians on charges of illegal gambling and telecom scams.