Background
The General Department of Immigration (GDI) is the national agency charged with implementing Cambodia’s immigration controls, including detention, investigation, and removal procedures for foreigners who violate immigration and criminal laws. Between 11 and 20 September 2026, GDI conducted a coordinated operation that removed 681 foreign nationals of 31 nationalities from Cambodia.
Chinese nationals comprised 164 of the removed individuals, and authorities identified links between some of those removals and technology-enabled online scam networks; several deportations were carried out on special flights via Phnom Penh’s Techo International Airport. Reported grounds for removal included illegal entry, document fraud, overstaying, extortion and fraud, use of falsified QR-code identity documents, drug-related offenses, unauthorized employment, and other criminal charges.
Key Developments
GDI reported that the 681 removals occurred over a ten-day period and involved nationals from 31 countries, among them China, Indonesia, Bangladesh, Thailand, Vietnam, Colombia, Lao PDR, Taiwan, Cameroon, Liberia, Nigeria, Malaysia, Kenya, Sierra Leone, the United Kingdom, Kazakhstan, South Korea, Pakistan, Brazil, Maldives, Mozambique, Myanmar, Uganda, Rwanda, Guinea, Gambia, India, Israel, Ecuador, Ethiopia and Egypt. The operation followed directives from senior Interior Ministry leadership and GDI management to investigate and process foreigners suspected of involvement in criminal activity.
Institutional Role
The removals were implemented under the operational direction of Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Interior S. Sokha and GDI Director-General Sok Vassana, with investigative and enforcement actions coordinated across immigration, police and airport security units. Special-arrangement deportations were used when authorities established criminal links or when large numbers of individuals required expedited removal to their countries of origin.
Operational Implications
For border-control practitioners and employers, the operation reinforces that evidence of document fraud, illegal work status, or involvement in organized fraud can trigger detention and expedited removal procedures under Cambodia’s immigration enforcement framework. Individuals and organizations responsible for hiring foreign labour should ensure valid visas and work permits to avoid administrative and criminal consequences under existing enforcement practices.
Official Source
Reported by the General Department of Immigration on its official social channels and website: https://www.facebook.com/GDIOfficial/ and www.immigration.gov.kh.
