AKP Phnom Penh, September 13, 2026 --

A former Australian police officer named Christine has defended Cambodia against a misconception that the country is a “scamming country,” stressing that Cambodian people do not want criminals operating in their country.

In remarks shared by Austin Tukwa TV, Christine said Cambodian people are proud of their country and do not want criminals to operate there, adding that Cambodia had been unfairly labelled “Scambodia.”

Her remarks read as follows:

“People have the misconception that Cambodia is a scamming country, but it is nothing of the sort. Cambodian people do not want criminals in their country. They are very proud people, they love their country, and they do not want these criminals here.

Cambodia has unfairly been given this awful title of ‘Scambodia.’ The truth is that the Cambodian government is committing significant resources to removing these criminals from the country.

I am a former police officer, so I take an interest in policing matters around the world. The Australian Federal Police are very active in Cambodia and work closely with the Cambodian police, as do law-enforcement agencies from other countries.

I often have coffee with police officers working on the anti-scam task force. We talk about their work, and they are making significant progress in breaking up and eliminating scam operations in Cambodia.

To their credit, Cambodian task forces are working extremely hard to dismantle these criminal networks, and they are achieving real success. They are also cooperating closely with police forces from other countries to fight human trafficking.

When Cambodian people approach you and you are not interested in what they are offering, simply respond politely and say, ‘អត់ទេ អរគុណ, No, thank you.’ They appreciate that you have acknowledged them and treated them with respect.”

By C. Nika