• Society

Thousands of Foreigners Deported from Cambodia

• By Mao Sopha
• and Teng Yalirozy
• April 8, 2022 12:17 PM

Significant intrusions despite checks: official

PHNOM PENH – Cambodia deported 3, 594 foreigners of 43 nationalities last year. Most were Thais, Chinese and Vietnamese who had committed crimes in Cambodia.

Deputy director of the Immigration Police Department at the Ministry of Interior Pum Vithya presented a report about illicit foreigners in Cambodia during a meeting on Wednesday to review the year’s work results of the General Department of Immigration.

But he did not elaborate on the exact number of each nationality who were expelled.

According to the 2021 bulletin posted in February by the General Department of Immigration, the foreigners deported included 2,899 Thais, 266 Chinese, 194 Vietnamese, 101 Nigerians, 19 Indonesians, 16 Filipinos and seven Malaysians. From 2014 to 2021, Cambodian authorities deported more than 20,000 illegal foreigners from 107 nationalities.

Pum Vithya's report showed that in 2021, Cambodian authorities found 2,749 foreigners of 11 nationalities living and working illegally in Cambodia. Of these, 2,636 were Thais, 44 were Vietnamese and 31 were Chinese.

They were found in Phnom Penh and other provinces, including Banteay Meanchey, Battambang, Kampong Cham, Mondulkiri, Pailin and Sihanoukville.

Pum Vithya's report also highlighted cases of foreigners illicitly entering Cambodia, showing that in 2021, authorities found 1,023 foreigners of seven nationalities who came into Cambodia illegally, including 578 Thais and 305 Vietnamese. There were 133 Chinese and other nationalities.

“Although we have strengthened measures to improve entry and visa checks, as well as thorough entry check-ins, there are still significant incidents of intrusion, such as illegal stays without a passport, overstaying and other illegal activities,” Vithya said.

To ensure that the presence of foreigners has a positive effect on national development, security, and social security, competent institutions had collected information, researched, and investigated regularly to find foreigners who violate the law.

Immigration Department spokesman General Keo Vanthan could not be reached for comment.

Minister of Interior Sar Kheng said that foreigners who enter Cambodia without a permit are illegal and the authorities must deport them.

Regardless of nationality, the authorities must apply the law without exception, Kheng said, warning authorities not to conspire with illegal foreigners.

“The authorities must administer the immigrants who have received the permanent residence permit thoroughly, take strict measures regularly and not allow any illegal immigrants to live in the Kingdom of Cambodia,” he said.

“This is a very important issue because in the past we seem to have launched a campaign to address this."

Kheng told border authorities to keep a close eye on foreigners in their localities to find out the numbers of those who were legal and illegal. Authorities who find foreigners living illegally must resolve their issues or deport them.