February 11, 2026 | 10:01 am
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - A video showing thousands of Indonesian citizens crowding the Indonesian Embassy in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, spread across social media in late January 2026. They claimed to be former workers at online scam companies. Some also said they were victims of human trafficking. They demanded to be repatriated to Indonesia.
Indonesia’s Ambassador to Cambodia, Santo Darmosumarto, said the embassy received more than 2,000 reports over a 10-day period. The number surged after Cambodian security authorities intensified raids on online scam operations. The problem, he said, is that after the embassy conducted assessments, there was no indication of any of them being victims of human trafficking. “Moreover, the authority to determine whether someone is a victim of human trafficking lies with law enforcement,” he said.
With thousands of Indonesian nationals still languishing at temporary shelters, Santo received Tempo reporter Oyuk Ivani Siagian at the Indonesian Embassy in Phnom Penh on Monday, January 26, 2026.
Why did thousands of Indonesians suddenly turn to the embassy in Phnom Penh?
After the Cambodian government raided online scam companies, there was a mass exodus of Indonesians coming to the embassy. Many lined up here for various purposes. Not all of them came to file complaints. Some simply needed embassy services to renew their passports or handle other administrative matters.
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