• Politics

Cambodians in Israel Safe but Evacuation Plans Ready

• By Meng Seavmey
• October 25, 2023 1:00 PM

PHNOM PENH – Cambodian citizens and students in Israel are safe at the moment but the government is ready to evacuate them if needed, Prime Minister Hun Manet says.

The body of the Cambodian student who died on Oct. 7 when the Israeli-Hamas war began was also brought back to the country on Oct. 24 for a funeral in accordance with Khmer tradition.

The government, cooperating with Israeli authorities and the Cambodian Honorary Consulate in Israel, has arranged alternative plans for the safety of all Cambodians, Hun Manet said at a meeting with more than 12,000 workers in Kampong Cham province on Oct. 25.

“We were working non-stop. For the first to the third day of the fighting, we had to find out the number of Cambodians in Israel and where they were staying to know whether they were in a safe or dangerous zone,” he said, adding that the relevant people involved must update him four times a day about the situation.

Since Oct. 7, the Cambodian government started working with the Israeli government and authorities to evacuate the ones in the danger or red zone to a safe zone as soon as possible.

He, along with the ministries of Agriculture and Foreign Affairs, had reached out to the students who were in the red zone where the attack took place, while the ministries of Defense and Education, Youth, and Sports had contacted their network for information.

“In three days, we managed to gather all of the Cambodian students in a Telegram group to update the situation,” the PM said.  A more detailed plan was later made though the situation became more manageable.

The Cambodian government also arranged safe accommodation 300km away  at the Egypt-Jordan border, to which none of the students volunteered to go. He said, “The Honorary Consulate of Cambodia in Israel has also provided food for those staying at their safe rooms, and prepared transport to the arranged accommodation anytime.”

“On Oct. 14, I was surprised when I heard that none of the students wanted to be transferred to the arranged accommodation. They said their current locations are safe and they were working as usual with guarantees from their employers,” he said.

“If they want to continue their work in Israel as they think it’s safe for them there, the government won’t force them to be evacuated. However, the government is always ready to get them out of there when it’s time,” he added.

The PM said the government was still following up with the situation in Israel constantly and would work on it until the danger is over. 

Hun Manet also met Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi in China and asked for the border crossing with Israel to be opened to let Cambodians pass through if needed.