PHNOM PENH – Cambodia’s Ministry of Information has called on Singapore-based news outlet CNA to issue a public correction after the Cambodian authorities concluded that a Singaporean woman who travelled voluntarily to Cambodia was neither trafficked nor held against her will, accusing the broadcaster of publishing a one-sided report that unfairly damaged the Kingdom’s reputation.
In an Aug 3 statement, ministry spokesperson Tep Asnarith said the official findings of Cambodia’s investigation had established that Siti Aishah Siregar, a Singaporean national, travelled to Cambodia of her own free will to cope with emotional distress and family-related pressures, and that no human trafficking, kidnapping or online scam-related crime had occurred.
“The case has been resolved and officially clarified that it bears no connection to human trafficking or any online scam offence, contrary to reports carried by certain foreign media outlets,” Asnarith said.
The woman also confirmed in a video message that no one had coerced, deceived or endangered her at any point after she arrived in Cambodia.
The ministry argued that CNA’s initial report relied primarily on the family’s concerns and suspicions before seeking confirmation from the Cambodian authorities, resulting in what it described as an inaccurate portrayal of Cambodia.
“At the initial stage of reporting, Channel News Asia rushed to publish the story by relying only on one-sided claims and sources of suspicion, together with the family’s social media appeals, while linking the case to negative narratives about human trafficking and online scams before obtaining official information or investigation findings from the Cambodian authorities,” the statement said.
The ministry said such reporting had “created serious misunderstanding among the international public”, unfairly harmed Cambodia’s reputation and undermined the country’s ongoing efforts to combat transnational online scam operations.
It acknowledged that CNA had updated its article after Cambodia released its findings but argued that quietly amending the report was insufficient.
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