BANGKOK — Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul signed an order on Friday revoking the Thai citizenship of Ly Yong Phat, a Cambodian Senator and owner of the LYP Group, over suspected involvement with scam operations.
The order cites evidence that Ly Yong Phat, 67, who obtained Thai citizenship through naturalization, maintained Cambodian citizenship while having connections to fraud groups. He was sanctioned by the U.S. for involvement in human trafficking and cyber fraud, with his conduct deemed threatening to national security.
One day earlier, AMLO seized 70 million baht ($2 million) in assets from Ly Yong Phat after finding evidence that he held a Thai ID card and was involved with a scammer gang.
Police Reveal Stalled Cambodia Raid
Pol. Lt. Gen. Trairong Phewphan, Deputy Inspector General and TCSD Spokesperson, revealed significant progress in combating scam networks. The Royal Thai Police has upgraded its war room operations to work more closely with banks on freezing assets linked to call center networks, successfully blocking more than 40% of money from leaving the country since the center’s launch.
Trairong revealed that in August-September 2024, Thai Cyber Police coordinated with Cambodian police, traveling to Phnom Penh to discuss the Puri Casino case, which housed both a casino and a scammer network.
Thai police expanded the investigation and issued more than 160 arrest warrants for Thai and Cambodian offenders, with clear locations of scammer operation bases. This information was coordinated with Cambodian authorities, who announced a joint operation.
When Cambodian authorities took Thai police to view the scammer operation buildings, they found fenced compounds with detention areas and operations rooms, similar to what South Korean police later encountered.
However, after a raid date was set, the appointment was continually postponed for over a month. Thai officials were asked to return home pending a new appointment, forcing Thai police to return empty-handed.
“I confirm that Thai police initiated this operation before South Korean police and did so seriously, as there were clear arrest warrants specifying offenders’ names. But the cooperation we received from Cambodian authorities was different from what South Korea received,” Trairong said.
$2 Million Asset Freeze
AMLO has made progress freezing assets of individuals in call center networks who hold dual citizenship. In the case of Ly Yong Phat, officials found he held a Thai ID card despite being a Cambodian national, and his name appeared in the O’Smach Casino Resort scammer network suspected of call center gang involvement. AMLO froze approximately 70 million baht ($2 million) in his Thai assets.
Regarding reports of scammers fleeing Cambodia, with some escaping into Thailand allegedly hiding South Korean workers, Trairong stated he is only aware of media reports. However, inspections have not yet confirmed that South Koreans have been smuggled into Thailand through any channels.
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