Minister of Interior Sar Sokha has instructed the General Department of Immigration to identify ways to further tighten the management of foreign nationals, building on existing mechanisms, with Cambodia denying entry to more than 1,000 individuals and deported many others in the first nine months of the year.

The directive was issued last week during a meeting with police officers from the immigration department, focusing on Phnom Penh and the provinces of Preah Sihanouk, Siem Reap, Svay Rieng and Banteay Meanchey.

According to the department, Sokha also "advised the strengthening … of the duty to report the presence of foreign nationals residing in factories, enterprises and various accommodations, such as hotels and guesthouses".

It reported that the country denied entry to 1,024 foreigners in the first nine months of 2024, while over 4.8 million foreigners (4,849,922) from 217 nationalities entered the country during this period, representing a 6.76 percent increase compared to the same period last year. Among these, more than 3.7 million (3,767,518) were tourists, accounting for 77.68 percent.

Ministry spokesperson Touch Sokhak told The Post that Sokha emphasised the strict enforcement of laws and the comprehensive management of foreigners. He noted that such measures do not infringe on the freedoms of foreign nationals.

"However, we must conduct regular inspections to ensure that we know where foreigners are staying, how many are present, what they are doing and whether they are complying with the law,” he stated.

“For example, if they enter as tourists but are actually working in Cambodia, that is illegal. If they come for work, they must have a work visa and a work permit. For foreigners who violate the law, we apply the provisions of the immigration law, which means expelling them to their home country or deporting them from Cambodia," he added.

Last week, the department also released a statement clarifying reports that Cambodian immigration authorities had denied entry to foreign nationals from India, Pakistan, Nepal, Bangladesh and Indonesia, and had not granted visa extensions for temporary stays.

It stated that under the Immigration Law and related sub-decrees, immigration police have the authority to refuse entry or deny temporary stay visas to foreigners who do not meet the conditions stipulated in the law and sub-decrees, such as having unclear travel history, vague travel purposes, lacking the means of self-support during their stay or having no guarantor.

Additionally, the authorities have grounds to deny entry or refuse visas if there is sufficient reason to believe that the individual will engage in or has engaged in actions that harm public interest, disrupt public order and social morality or pose a threat to national and international security.

Sokhak stated that Cambodia does not discriminate against any nationality entering the country but must enforce its immigration laws and related measures, similar to other nations.

Yang Peou, secretary-general of the Royal Academy of Cambodia, commented that while he is not an expert in immigration, he believes that some foreign nationals exploit their stay in the country to commit crimes, such as online fraud or engaging in other illegal businesses.

He noted that this issue may stem from insufficient regulatory control, resulting in activities that damage Cambodia’s reputation.

"In my opinion, it can be assessed that the management of foreigners in Cambodia still remains somewhat lenient, and the immigration laws have not been fully enforced. We have the laws, but their implementation may be limited. This is just my observation,” he said.

However, Sokhak emphasised that the country has not been lax in enforcing immigration laws, as evidenced by the figures showing the refusal of entry to foreign nationals.

Immigration department spokesperson Sok Somnea said that in the first nine months of 2024, the country also expelled a significant number of illegal foreign residents, most of whom entered or were staying illegally and working without work permits.

"We follow the existing Cambodian laws, and now we are strengthening the management of foreigners. We currently have an operation, Campaign 003, to register the number of foreign nationals for accurate data and decide on the procedures to follow according to the law. Expulsions do occur because if they enter illegally, we must deport them," he stated.

In 2023, the Kingdom expelled 2,159 foreign nationals due to legal violations. Among them, Chinese nationals were the most numerous (1,011), followed by Indonesians (267) and Vietnamese (507). There were also several hundred individuals from other nationalities.