Background
The General Department of Immigration (GDI) administers entry, stay, and removal procedures under the Ministry of Interior and coordinates repatriation logistics with foreign diplomatic missions when cases involve cross-border criminal activity or irregular employment.
On 24 June 2026, Cambodian immigration authorities deported 173 Chinese nationals who were identified in connection with online scam operations and irregular employment. The General Department of Immigration coordinated with the Embassy of the People’s Republic of China in Cambodia to repatriate the group on a special flight from Phnom Penh International Airport.
Key Developments
According to the GDI announcement, the removals followed an internal investigation and procedural review by the department’s investigative unit and procedural division. The group included 173 individuals, of whom two were reported as female, and they were removed via a special repatriation flight processed at the airport’s immigration control point.
The office published social and contact links as part of its public notice: TikTok and Facebook handles, a Telegram channel, and the official immigration website (www.immigration.gov.kh).
Institutional Role
GDI carried out the repatriation action on the direction of senior Interior Ministry leadership; the announcement cites operational guidance from senior officials and names Director-General សុខ វាសនា in the chain of command. The case illustrates GDI’s role in executing cross-border removals when foreign nationals are linked to technology-enabled fraud or found to be staying or working without proper authorization.
Operational Implications
Cooperation with the sending state’s embassy enabled coordinated passenger documentation and a special flight to complete repatriation logistics on a single operation day. The use of a specially arranged aircraft and processing at Phnom Penh International Airport reflects an operational mechanism Cambodia uses for group removals involving foreign diplomatic coordination.
