The death of a South Korean student, reportedly lured to Cambodia by a scam gang, should be a wake-up call for members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) to push for more collaboration in tackling such vicious crimes.
Leaders from 10 Asean member countries are going to meet in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, at the 47th Asean Summit from Oct 26-28. Since Southeast Asia is regarded as a hotspot for scammers, Malaysia — as the host — should place the issue on the agenda.
Victims across the region and beyond have been suffering from financial losses, psychological trauma, and in many cases, physical harm. The recent death of the 22-year-old South Korean surnamed Park, at the hands of a Cambodian-based gang, underscores the urgency of coordinated action.
Year after year, the Asean Summit has focused on recurring issues such as the political and democratic crisis in Myanmar and territorial disputes in the South China Sea, various human rights issues and Asean connectivity.
Some of these issues may be resolved, while others remain unaddressed due to Asean’s non-interference policy in the internal affairs of member states.
However, it’s high time that Asean member states this year adopted a more flexible approach to the non-interference policy and come together to tackle the scam crisis collectively. As citizens across Asean and around the world are being affected by this issue, it requires a united response.
What the Asean Summit must do is to help establish a regional task force to tackle cybercrime, which can enter any Asean country should the need arise.
Secondly, Asean must help create a central channel to enhance intelligence sharing on the issue of international call scammers.
Thirdly, Asean must help put pressure on the Cambodian authorities to take decisive action against scammers. Indeed, Cambodia’s Prime Minister Hun Manet must take responsibility for failing to address the scam problem seriously, allowing criminal groups to establish scam operations within the country and deceive foreign nationals, many of them Thais, into working under coercion and abuse if they refuse to comply.
Fourthly, Asean must put in place a mechanism for protecting victims. Asean leaders should discuss the issue extensively at the summit in coordinating repatriation, rehabilitation programmes and witness protection for scam victims based on need.
Lastly, Asean must together strengthen its legal frameworks. They should discuss ways to harmonise laws across Asean to ensure scammers face consistent penalties and cannot exploit jurisdictional loopholes.
To effectively address the scam crisis, Asean should seek more cooperation from other countries participating in this summit and foster broader international collaboration.
Asean Plus Three, which includes the 10 Asean member countries plus China, Japan, and South Korea, and Asean Plus Six, which adds Australia, India, and New Zealand to the Plus Three group, can become two international forums for Asean to work closely together to launch an aggressive crackdown on scam syndicates. Asean must act decisively on the matter.
As for Thailand, Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul should use the summit to urge Asean leaders to transform the region’s shared frustration into unified action.
Thailand has been directly affected by scam operations in both Cambodia and Myanmar, so we must take a more proactive role in driving efforts to address the issue.
I agree that Mr Anutin has already made scam suppression a cornerstone of Thailand’s foreign policy, linking it to peace negotiations with Cambodia.
However, more needs to be done at the summit. Mr Anutin should propose a binding Asean resolution on scam suppression, positioning Thailand as a regional leader in digital security.
He should call on Cambodia to publicly disclose its efforts to shut down scam centres and prosecute offenders. He should forge alliances by strengthening bilateral and multilateral cooperation, especially with South Korea and the United States, which have expressed deep concern over the issue.
Furthermore, Mr Anutin should highlight Thailand’s recent arrests and enforcement actions to demonstrate commitment and build trust, urging Asean to assist scam victims, including legal aid and psychological support.
The Asean summit next week could be a turning point — if Asean leaders, especially Mr Anutin, choose courage over complacency to tackle international call scams.