The General Department of Immigration said on Wednesday it is working to revoke the “irregular documentation” of some 10,000 foreigners before June 30, after which anyone found to be breaking the law faces imprisonment or deportation.
Prime Minister Hun Sen on August 15, 2017 signed sub-decree 129 on the “cancellation and revocation of irregular documents used by foreigners living in Cambodia”.
The immigration department said that foreigners found to be acting against the sub-decree after 30 June face imprisonment.
Sok Phal, the secretary of state at the Ministry of Interior in charge of immigration, told The Post on Wednesday: “We continue to withdraw irregular documents because the government deadline is 30 June 2019. Our teams are working in the provinces to help immigration officers implement the law successfully before the deadline."
“Currently, more than 10 per cent of immigrants, or 10,000 foreigners, use irregular documents in Cambodia.”
A Department of Immigration report said that this year, police and relevant authorities have withdrawn more than 30,000 irregular documents – including passports, visas, family books and ID cards – from people from 10 countries, with Vietnamese nationals accounting for 90 per cent of cases.
The report added that since 2014, Cambodia has deported some 15,000 illegal immigrants. Last year, the government deported more than 3,000 people – most of whom were Chinese and Vietnamese nationals.
Department of Immigration deputy director Hem Theng on Wednesday ordered his team during a meeting in Siem Reap province to speed up the procedure of following the sub-decree as they attempt to nullify all invalid documents before the deadline.
He said illegal immigrants could be detained and deported if they don’t apply for and receive permanent residency by 30 June.
Theng said foreigners who use illegal Cambodian ID cards and other documents could be imprisoned for fraud.
Theng added that in order to implement the rules successfully and smoothly, the government created an inter-ministerial task force comprising the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation – which was tasked with checking and updating national and international laws; the Ministry of Justice – which represented the courts; the Cabinet of the Council of Ministers’ legal counsel team; and the Ministry of Interior’s General Department of Immigration.
“I called and sent messages to immigration officials asking them to work with relevant officials to implement the rules transparently and fairly and to follow legal procedures in Cambodia to eradicate the issue of people living here without proper acknowledgement from Cambodia,” he said.
Sourn Butmao, the executive director of NGO Minority Rights Organization said there are double standards when it comes to enforcing laws on irregular documentation, with some officers not implementing them properly.
“I think a small number of officials have two standards. For example, in Kampong Chhnang province, the authorities do not enforce the law on people with money or status."
“The law should be implemented with the highest responsibility, with transparency, fairness and respect for national human rights laws and international human rights conventions,” he said.