Background
The General Department of Immigration (GDI) is the Ministry of Interior agency responsible for border control, entry-exit screening and the administrative removal of non-citizens who violate Cambodia’s immigration rules.
The General Department of Immigration reported that 777 foreign nationals were deported from Cambodia between 21 and 31 July 2026. Chinese nationals made up 158 of the deported individuals, including five women, and a substantial portion of those cases were linked to online fraud operations.
Enforcement Actions
The GDI said removals occurred over a ten-day operation from 21–31 July 2026 and used both special charter flights and standard departures through Phnom Penh Techo International Airport. Authorities identified 19 nationalities among the deportees: Cameroon, South Korea, China, Taiwan, Japan, Nigeria, Nepal, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Thailand, Malaysia, Myanmar, Liberia, Vietnam, the Philippines, India, Indonesia, the United States, and Australia.
Reported grounds for removal included illegal border crossings, falsified documents, overstaying, extortion and fraud, use of counterfeit visas or QR codes, drug trafficking and use, illegal employment, and other criminal offenses. The GDI specifically flagged multiple cases tied to technology-enabled fraud schemes (online scams) among the deported persons.
Institutional Role
The operation was conducted under direction from senior Interior Ministry leadership and in line with executive-level directives emphasizing removal of criminal actors and illegal residents. The GDI coordinated airport checkpoints and investigatory divisions to identify, detain and process individuals for deportation while facilitating repatriation by air.
Public statements by government leaders have framed these actions as part of a sustained government policy to prevent Cambodia from being used as a base for transnational fraud and other criminal activity.
Source
Original reporting and operational details published by the General Department of Immigration on 3 August 2026: GDI Facebook post. Additional GDI public channels include official website and social accounts.
