Background
The General Department of Immigration (GDI) is the national authority responsible for administering border control, visa compliance, and removal procedures under Cambodia’s immigration enforcement framework.
Between 1 and 10 May 2026, GDI-led operations and associated airport police posts processed the removal of 3,684 foreign nationals of 35 nationalities from Cambodia.
GDI coordinated deportation procedures through investigative units and airport immigration checkpoints, using processing points at Siem Reap (Angkor) International Airport and Techo International Airport for a portion of the removals.
Key Developments
GDI reported the removal of 3,684 foreign nationals, including 489 women, representing 35 nationalities. Chinese nationals accounted for 1,968 of the removals; the statement identified a subset of those as linked to online scam activity.
Other nationalities listed in the operation included citizens from Myanmar, Pakistan, Nepal, Bangladesh, the Philippines, India, Malaysia, Japan, Taiwan, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Thailand and a range of African countries among others.
The cases cited by GDI covered a range of irregularities: online scams, illegal border crossings, use of forged or falsified documents, absence of valid travel papers, alleged financial offences, use of counterfeit QR-code identity documents, unauthorised employment, and other criminal offences.
Enforcement Actions
GDI stated the removals were carried out following recommendations from senior Interior Ministry leadership and instruction to investigative directorates to apply established procedures for identifying and removing non-citizens in violation of immigration rules.
Deportations were executed through airport police posts at international entry/exit points, with specific processing recorded at Siem Reap (Angkor) and Techo International airports.
Operational Implications
The operation documents an operational emphasis on detecting online-scam networks and addressing a mix of visa, identity-document and criminal violations through coordinated airport and investigative procedures.
For stakeholders, the recorded removals illustrate the practical application of immigration controls at ports of entry and the role of inter-agency direction in large-scale deportation operations.
Official channels
GDI public channels cited in the original release include: https://www.tiktok.com/@gdicambodia, https://t.me/GDIOfficial, https://www.facebook.com/GDIOfficial/, and the official website www.immigration.gov.kh.
