Vietnam Wants its Citizens Protected

KHMER TIMES
ROS CHANVEASNA

Illegal immigrants from Vietnam who were detained in a recent raid and deported. Supplied

In the wake of startling deportation numbers released by the general department of immigration last week showing that more than 85 percent of those deported since 2014 were Vietnamese, the government in Hanoi has asked Cambodia to ensure that the rights of those being sent back are respected.

Last Thursday Major General Uk Hai Seila, chief investigator at the Interior Ministry’s immigration department, told Khmer Times that of the 2,502 immigrants that had been deported in the first six months of this year, 1,893 were Vietnamese.

Of the 10,800 people deported since the immigration department was created and started keeping records in 2014, 9,200 were Vietnamese nationals who had entered the Kingdom illegally or had expired visas.

In a press conference last week, spokesman for the Vietnamese Foreign Affairs Ministry Le Hai Binh said both governments were working together to tackle issues facing Vietnamese nationals living in Cambodia.

But he also said he wanted Cambodia to make sure it was respecting the rights of Vietnamese citizens and not intentionally seeking out Vietnamese workers for deportation.

“We expect Cambodian agencies and local authorities to pay attention, create all possible favorable conditions, and work to ensure that Vietnamese people in Cambodia enjoy their legitimate rights and benefits and are able to lead a stable life there,” Mr. Hai Binh said.

Phay Siphan, spokesman for the Council of Ministers, said all foreigners have the chance to work in Cambodia as long as they have the correct legal documents required by the Immigration Law and the Labor Law.

“These laws require all migrant workers working in the Kingdom to hold work permits along with the appropriate business visa,” Mr. Siphan said.

He added that disobeying any of these laws will negatively impact the country and force the government to deport them, regardless of their country of origin.

“We do not only deport illegal Vietnamese nationals but we also deport all foreigners who are living in the Kingdom if they violate our [laws],” Mr. Siphan said.

Opposition Cambodia National Rescue Party member Son Chhay said it was normal for a foreign government to fight for their citizens wherever they are, but added that the government here had to make more of an effort to protect the country’s borders.

“It’s normal that they [the Vietnamese government] are concentrating on protecting the benefits of their people living abroad,” Mr. Chhay said. But Cambodia’s focus, he added, should be Cambodians.

“We have enough immigration laws to crack down on them,” he said.

Cambodia’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Chum Sounry could not be reached yesterday.