Cambodia threatens to deport Vietnamese immigrants after 2002

Cambodian authorities have announced that they will only allow those named in the 2002 census to stay after confiscating their documents.

A Vietnamese child in Cambodia. Photo: CNA.

"The government will not deport those whose names appear in the 2002 census, but all new arrivals will be sent back to their homeland,"Channel News AsiaOctober 21 quoteKem Sain, spokesman for the General Department of Immigration of Cambodia.

Home OfficeCambodia early Octobernotice willconfiscated "wrongly and improperly issued" identity papers for 70,000 people, mostly of Vietnamese origin, many of whom were born and raised inCambodiaand speak Khmer as his native language.

According to Mr. Sain, individuals whose identification documents are confiscated will still be allowed to stay.Cambodia in two yearsif they had registered their identity in the 2002 national census. However, Cambodia has admitted that the census only surveyed 70% of the country's "foreigners".

During that time, they can apply for immigration but will not enjoy the same rights as Cambodian citizens."We give them two options. They can apply for immigration or they can go back to their country. But this option is not available to those who came to Cambodia after 2002," Sain said.

Cambodian Interior Ministry spokesman Keo Vanthorn said that Vietnamese adults can apply for Cambodian citizenship if they meet the following requirements: having a certificate of good moral character from the commune or ward chairman, having a certificate of not having been convicted of a criminal offense, having a certificate of having lived in Cambodia continuously for 7 years from the date of being granted a residence permit, having a place of residence in Cambodia at the time of applying for citizenship, being able to speak and write Khmer, having a certain understanding of Khmer history, and having clear evidence that they can live well in Cambodian society.

"For those without valid documents, we consider them as foreigners living and working illegally in the country.Cambodia",Uk Heisela, chief inspector of the immigration department, said.

"I have nothing to worry about. I'm not afraid. If they want to deport us back to our country, then so be it."Mrs. Tran Thi Xuyen, a personVietnamese living inAkreiy Ksatr, near the capitalPhnom Penh, said.

This 60 year old woman haslive inCambodia30 years nowShe said her family has been living here since her grandfather's time. They were deported back to their country under the Khmer Rouge regime. Despite having applied for an identity card many times, Ms. Xuyen is still stateless.

"I always asked the government why they didn't make me an ID card. They just kept saying it wasn't time yet," Ms. Xuyen said. "You see, it's been 30 years."

In response to information from Cambodia, Ms. Le Thi Thu Hang, spokesperson for the Vietnamese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, affirmed that "the Cambodian community of Vietnamese origin living in Cambodia has made many contributions to the development of Cambodia and fostered the traditional friendship between the two countries."

The representative of the Vietnamese Ministry of Foreign Affairs expressed his hope that Cambodia would continue to create favorable legal conditions and take appropriate measures to ensure the legal and legitimate rights of Cambodians of Vietnamese origin.

Meanwhile, the governmentCambodiadeclared that it would strictly follow procedures when confiscating immigrants' documents.

"We will comply with domestic and international laws. We will not allow human rights violations," Keo Vanthorn, spokesman for the Ministry of Home AffairsCambodia, said.

According to VNE