在国际压力上升及高调执法行动后，数以千计的外籍劳工从柬埔寨各地的网络诈骗园区涌入金边。政府在一次持续4小时的内阁及专项委员会会议后重申要“根除网络诈骗”。1月7日，当局逮捕并将陈智遣返中国，此举被视为转折点。内政部同时规定，若房主明知并包庇涉案外籍人士，每人最高可被罚款1,000美元，进一步加速了人员外逃。
反人口贩运专家估计，近两周内走出诈骗园区的外籍劳工至少达数千人，甚至可能上万人，且多数处于无住所、无收入的脆弱状态。个案显示，24岁的乌干达男子于1月15日从一处赌场园区逃出，其护照仅显示2025年3月入境越南记录，无柬埔寨入境记录，反映跨境偷渡与强迫劳动的普遍性。社交媒体视频显示，多地园区人员集体撤离，集中前往金边寻求庇护或返国途径。
使馆与国际机构承压明显。印尼使馆在5天内处理了1,440起求助案件，数百名印尼公民每日在馆外等候；大量中国公民也聚集在使馆周边。全国仅有1处官方收容所且已超载。部分非洲国家在金边无使馆，求助国际移民组织但面临人员短缺。政府表示将继续打击诈骗，对恶意逾期者全额罚款，对无力离境者给予“从宽处理”，并呼吁他国协助资助临时安置设施。
Following intensified international pressure and high-profile enforcement, thousands of foreign workers have fled online scam compounds across Cambodia into Phnom Penh. After a four-hour cabinet and special committee meeting, the government reiterated its aim to “eradicate online scams.” Authorities arrested and deported Chen Zhi to China on Jan. 7, marking a turning point. The Interior Ministry also ruled that property owners knowingly harboring foreign criminals could be fined up to $1,000 per person, accelerating the exodus.
Anti-trafficking experts estimate that at least several thousand, and possibly tens of thousands, of foreign workers have exited scam compounds over the past two weeks, with most now living in precarious conditions. One case involved a 24-year-old Ugandan who escaped on Jan. 15; his passport showed a Vietnam entry stamp from March 2025 but no Cambodian entry, highlighting widespread cross-border trafficking and forced labor. Social media videos show mass departures from compounds nationwide, with workers converging on Phnom Penh to seek help or repatriation.
Embassies and international agencies are under strain. Indonesia’s embassy handled 1,440 complaints in five days, with hundreds of Indonesians waiting daily for assistance, while similar crowds of Chinese nationals gathered near their embassy. Cambodia has only one official shelter, which is over capacity. Many African countries lack embassies in Phnom Penh, complicating coordination with the International Organization for Migration. The government says it will continue crackdowns, fully fine malicious overstayers, grant leniency to those unable to leave, and seek foreign funding to expand temporary accommodation.