PHNOM PENH, April 6 (Xinhua) -- Cambodia's new law on combating online scams, which will deliver up to 30 years or life imprisonment to scam bosses, was promulgated on Monday.
The promulgation was made in a royal decree signed by Acting Head of State Samdech Techo Hun Sen after the Senate, or the upper house, gave final approval to the law on April 3.
According to the decree, the law takes effect immediately.
Under the new law, online scam bosses will face between 15 and 30 years or life imprisonment if their operations lead to one or many deaths.
Ringleaders of online scam centers will face between five and 10 years in prison and a fine of up to one billion riels (about 250,000 U.S. dollars), and they will face between 10 and 20 years in jail and a fine of up to 2 billion riels if their operations are found to involve violence, torture, illegal confinement, human trafficking, or forced labor.
Online scammers will be imprisoned between two and five years with a fine of up to 500 million riels.
The Southeast Asian country has launched an unprecedented nationwide crackdown on cyber scam networks in order to maintain social security, safety and public order, and to restore the kingdom's image on the international stage.
Deputy Prime Minister and Interior Minister Sar Sokha said in February that Cambodia had deported more than 30,000 suspected foreign scammers, as over 210,000 others had voluntarily left the kingdom after operations against online scams had intensified since June last year. ■
