UN rights envoy warns of displacement, trafficking and repression in Cambodia

U.N. Special Rapporteur on human rights in Cambodia, Tom Andrews, concluded a fact-finding mission in Phnom Penh by meeting Prime Minister Hun Manet and other senior officials. He toured a border displacement site still housing about 20,000 people who were forced from their homes during the 2025 Cambodia-Thailand armed clashes and affirmed their right under international law to return. Andrews reported that more than 100 detainees appear to be held for exercising freedom of expression, assembly or association, underscoring the country’s longstanding pattern of silencing critics.

He also warned that senior Cambodian figures may be linked to transnational cyber-scam operations that trap foreign victims in illegal compounds. While praising Cambodia’s recent economic gains, the envoy called for cooperation with Thailand to speed up civilian repatriation and for safeguards that ensure voters can access a full spectrum of opinions ahead of the next election.