PHNOM PENH: General Kiet Chantharith of the Department of Immigration confirmed that over 1,000 people were deported in the first six months of 2023 for not having proper documentation.

At a ceremony to appoint new police officials on August 16, he said that Cambodia had deported 1,038 foreigners of 26 nationalities, including 549 Chinese, 169 Indonesians, 129 Vietnamese, 26 Thais and 25 Malaysians and among others. They were deported for living in Cambodia illegally and for other crimes.

According to the Department of Immigration, nearly 300,000 foreigners were living in Cambodia during the first half of 2023. During that time, the department issued about 280,000 non-immigrant visas. Nearly 260,000 foreigners applied for work permits through the Ministry of Labor and Vocational Training.

Secretary of State for the Ministry of Interior Sok Phal urged the immigration police to be more active in monitoring undocumented immigrants for the sake of national security. He said that immigration police have done well in the past, there are still gaps that must be filled and crimes to be prevented.