572 Chinese, 65 Thais Among 1,035 Foreigners Deported by Cambodia
572 Chinese, 65 Thais Among 1,035 Foreigners Deported by Cambodia
PHNOM PENH, Sept. 17, 2026 — Cambodia deported 1,035 foreign nationals from 33 nationalities, including 104 women, during a 10-day immigration enforcement operation beginning September 1, as authorities intensify action against illegal immigration, document fraud, cybercrime and other offences.
The General Department of Immigration said the deportations were carried out under the direction of Deputy Prime Minister and Interior Minister Sar Sokha and senior Ministry of Interior officials. The operation targeted foreign nationals found to be staying or operating illegally in Cambodia.
Among those deported were 572 Chinese nationals, including 15 women, who were linked to online scam operations and were repatriated on a special flight through the Techo International Airport immigration checkpoint.
65 Thais deported through Poipet
The operation also resulted in the deportation of 65 Thai nationals, including 28 women, through the Poipet International Border Gate in Banteay Meanchey province.
The Thai nationals were among foreigners removed through land border checkpoints as Cambodian authorities continued enforcing immigration laws and processing foreigners found to be in violation of legal requirements.
Cambodia had separately deported 66 Thai nationals through Poipet on September 9 after they completed prison sentences for illegal residence, demonstrating continued enforcement at the key Cambodia-Thailand crossing.
Vietnamese and other nationalities removed
A further 86 Vietnamese nationals, including 28 women, were deported through the Trapeang Phlong International Border Gate in Tboung Khmum province.
Other deportees were processed through Techo International Airport and Siem Reap-Angkor International Airport.
The 33 nationalities included Chinese, Vietnamese, Thai, Bangladeshi, Indonesian, Cameroonian, Nigerian, Myanmar, Pakistani, Taiwanese, Burundian, Ghanaian, Ethiopian, Kenyan, Japanese, Tunisian, Liberian, Sri Lankan, Gambian, Lao, Indian, South African, Korean, Namibian, Togolese, Turkish, Polish, Russian, British, Angolan, German and Egyptian nationals.
Authorities said the cases involved alleged illegal border crossings, document forgery, illegal residence, possession of passports irregularities, extortion, fake visas and QR codes, drug trafficking or use, illegal employment and other offences.
Cambodia steps up anti-scam enforcement
The deportations form part of Cambodia’s broader campaign against transnational crime and online scam networks.
The government has repeatedly pledged to prevent criminals and illegal operators from using Cambodia as a base for cyber fraud and other activities affecting victims in Cambodia and abroad.
The scale of the latest operation comes after Cambodian authorities reported another major crackdown in August, when they raided 85 online scam operations and detained 1,255 suspects from 13 nationalities. During the same month, immigration authorities deported 2,005 foreign nationals from 32 nationalities, including 574 people directly linked to cyber-scam syndicates.
Under Sar Sokha’s direction, Cambodian law-enforcement agencies have also intensified efforts to dismantle cybercrime networks and rescue people believed to have been trafficked into scam operations, while processing foreign nationals found to have violated Cambodian law.
The latest deportations underscore the government’s continuing push to tighten immigration enforcement while targeting foreign-linked criminal networks operating inside the country.
