Good comparison and it makes sense. In a way they kind of do the same thing here and when they decide to eliminate you seems to be arbitrary but this is a communist country so perhaps they actually do kind of know what you are up to and whether or not you have any money. This could come from looking at your place of residence and seeing if the rent there is expensive enough to presume you are a tourist of a higher order.
I have heard stories that rich Chinese are taking over certain parts of the country like Sinouukeville, which i almost certainly spelled incorrectly.
Yep, a sad reality, but something we as foreigners just have to deal with. Sihanoukville already went through a Chinese takeover, but COVID kind of wiped it out, so now there is an abandoned Chinatown there and many empty casino towers. A good chunk of the Chinese moneymen brought their riches to the border near us where there is one Chinese casino and an endless amount of projects going on, all this despite the border near us having never been an international crossing. Even since COVID local Thai and Khmer traffic is not permitted, only medical emergencies.