Authorities inspected two locations in Sihanoukville on September 28 but discovered no victims or offences.
According to a September 30 press release, the first location – registered to Fi Ben Hav Euk – is in Commune II’s Village 1 and the second – Ching Chhay III – is in Commune III’s Village 3.
The first location, a seven storey building with 57 units, had no occupants. Officers discovered four Cambodian cleaners and one Chinese cook, who had only been employed at the site for five days.
“Upon the inspection of the locations, we found no offence, so we handed the buildings back to the owners’ representatives,” it said.
The second location had two buildings. The first had four floors with 62 units and was also unoccupied. The second was eight storeys high with 90 units and 52 offices. The officers found 11 Cambodian and 24 Chinese people working there, but they were all in possession of correct documentation.
Officers found no evidence of any offence and returned the building to the owners' representatives. They instructed the owners to be mindful of offering the location to foreigners who may use it to conduct illegal activities.
Authorities said that although many illegal businesses have shut down on their own, they will continue to conduct inspections in areas of suspected illegal businesses. Strict legal action will be taken against business owners found to be committing crimes, and the crackdown would continue until the province no longer sees these types of crimes, it added.
