Cambodian Protest Leaders Charged Over Frozen Huione H-Pay Accounts

Desperate account holders took to the streets—only to see their leaders arrested. Now, Cambodia's crackdown on Huione's shadowy finances deepens, leaving thousands in limbo.

, and Administrator

2026 May 2 . 4:12 PM

1 min read

The image shows a large group of people walking down a street, holding banners and placards with... — The image shows a large group of people walking down a street, holding banners and placards with text on them. On the right side of the image, there are trees and buildings with glass walls, and on the left side there are vehicles on the road. There are also poles and sign boards with text, indicating that this is a protest in Hong Kong.

Cambodian Protest Leaders Charged Over Frozen Huione H-Pay Accounts

Two Cambodian men have been charged after leading protests over frozen accounts linked to Huione Group’s H-Pay platform. The demonstrations took place outside the National Bank of Cambodia, where organisers allegedly paid participants to join. Authorities claim the protests disrupted public order and traffic. Suon Sovanthai and Vath Makara were arrested during the protest and later charged with incitement to cause serious unrest. They had reportedly created a Telegram group with 1,200 members, all claiming to be Huione account holders. These users have been unable to access their funds since December, when the platform’s operations were halted.

The National Bank of Cambodia revoked Huione’s business licences and directed affected creditors to seek resolution through the courts or a liquidator. The move followed allegations that Huione, under former chairman Li Xiong, was involved in money laundering for transnational crime syndicates. Li was extradited to China on 1 April amid US accusations that the company facilitated financial flows for cyberscam networks. Cambodia has increasingly become a base for criminal groups running fake investment and romance scams. Protesters at the demonstration were allegedly offered 25,000 riel (around six dollars) each to take part in the rally.

The charges against Sovanthai and Makara follow a wider crackdown on Huione’s operations. With the platform’s licences revoked, account holders now face legal or liquidation processes to recover funds. The case also highlights ongoing concerns about Cambodia’s role in hosting illicit financial networks.