Indonesian Citizens in Cambodia and the Promise of 19 Million Jobs
Jakarta – Thousands of Indonesian citizens are currently stranded around the Indonesian Embassy in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, seeking help to be repatriated to Indonesia. The latest data show 4,882 Indonesian citizens have reported to the embassy requesting assistance to return home. However, not all can be repatriated immediately. They are subjected to assessments, after which thousands of Indonesians were found not to be victims of human trafficking (TPPO).
This was conveyed by the Indonesian Ministry of Foreign Affairs through Acting Director for the Protection of Indonesian Citizens, Heni Hamidah, on Friday, 27 February 2026.
‘In fact, most say they have worked professionally in the online scam sector,’ she added.
There are still thousands who must stay in temporary shelters, with facilities provided by the embassy and local authorities.
The mass repatriation of Indonesians from Cambodia followed Cambodia’s widespread crackdown on online scam operations from late 2025.
She said the crackdown on online scam by the Cambodian government has been categorised as a national campaign.
This policy was adopted by Cambodia in response to international pressure and the country’s poor reputation due to online scam activities.
‘And on 15 January 2026, the Cambodian government began a raid operation against locations suspected of being scam compounds (areas of online fraud),’ she stated.
The direct impact has been that many places used for online scam operations were closed; foreign nationals, including Indonesians, began losing places to work and to live.
Yunety Tarigan, Head of Advocacy Integrity of Justitia Madani Indonesia (IJMI), revealed that the problem of Indonesians becoming scammers in Cambodia is not new. The issue came to light during the Covid-19 pandemic when gambling and casinos dwindled and online gambling began to take over.
Online gambling was then followed by online fraud businesses, or what is commonly referred to as online scams.