General Khieu Sophak, spokesman for the Ministry of Interior, on Wednesday, told Fresh News, a local online newspaper, that the ban of visa for Cambodian high ranking government officials working at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation is due to the fact that the Cambodian Government would like to amend the bilateral agreement with the US by asking them to not deport Cambodian people from the US anymore.
"We are aware of a possible visa sanction if we don't want to accept Cambodian people deported from the US. But We only don't want to tell people about this unfortunate story, that's why we keep silent until now," said Gen. Sophak as reported by Fresh News.
Gen. Sophak's statement came after the US Embassy in Phnom Penh, in the same day, announced the ban of B1, B2 and B1/B2 visas for Cambodian high ranking diplomats and their family, as a response to the objection made by the Cambodian Government to not to accept anymore Cambodian people deported from the US.
However, Gen. Sophak said that his Government did not absolutely say «NO», they just want to do some change in the memorandum of understanding (MOU) between Cambodia and the US, in order to make the deportation more acceptable and with compassion.
According to Gen. Sophak, as of February 2017, more than 500 Cambodian people were deported from the US.
On the other hand, Fresh News reported that on April 27, during a graduation ceremony, Prime Minister Hun Sen pointed out that the Cambodian-American agreement concerning the deportation was still valid, but Cambodian counterpart would like to amend the agreement in a view to make the deportation conform to the principle of humanity and human rights.
"It is a heartbreaking story for Cambodian people deported from the US. Their family is dispersed, wives are separated from husbands, parents are separated from children. The US Government should understand that, because it concerns humanity and human rights," said Prime Minister Hun Sen as reported by Fresh News.
Not only Prime Minister Hun Sen, former US president Barack Obama himself also considers the deportation is a «heartbreaking» story. Regarding this matter, the former president has been using all legal measures, from The Congress to The Supreme Court, to be able to reform the US immigration system in order to ban the deportation and also to legalise 4 million long-stay immigrants in the US. But he failed to do so - the opposition party in the US successfully blocked his proposal at The Supreme Court.
"Today’s decision is frustrating for those who seek to grow our economy, bring rationality to our immigration system and allow people to come out of the shadows and lift this perpetual cloud from them," Mr. Obama told reporters at The White House last year after The Supreme Court had been blocking his proposal.
"It is heartbreaking for the millions of immigrants who made their lives here, who raised families here, who hoped for the opportunity to work, pay taxes, serve in our military, and more fully contribute to this country in an open way," added Mr. Obama as reported by The Guardian.
"Sooner or later immigration reform will get done. Congress will not be able to ignore America forever. It’s not a matter of if, it’s a matter of when," added the former president as reported by The Guardian.
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