The United States is considering imposing sanctions as early as this week on prominent Cambodians, including one person close to the ruling party, over alleged links to online scams and human trafficking, two people briefed on the matter by US officials told Reuters.
The move, which has not previously been reported, would come during a delicate phase in the relations between the United States and Cambodia, after Phnom Penh started works on a China-backed canal that would divert water from the fragile Mekong River. The project has triggered criticism from US officials.
Cambodia has been strengthening military cooperation with Beijing, which sent warships to the Southeast Asian nation earlier this year and is backing the expansion of a key naval base.
