Immigration police meet to discuss working through Covid
Minister of Interior Sar Kheng has urged all immigration police officials to “have the capacity” to control border checkpoints and “increase control” by checking potential crimes that could happen along the borders.
Kheng made the remark yesterday when he delivered a speech at the General Department of Immigration’s conference to review work results from 2021 to 2022 and the effect Covid-19 had on procedures during this time.
The conference was held yesterday in Phnom Penh to determine achievements in 2021 and look at the plan for 2022 and beyond. It was attended by 206 immigration officials from across the country.
He added that for “those foreigners who come to Cambodia as legal tourists and investors to do business there is no problem.”
Yesterday they also had a meeting concerning the Poipet International border checkpoint, which is a very old border crossing, and the Bavet and Laos checkpoints.
During the opening of the conference, Immigration Department Director-General General Kirth Chantharith said that “so far immigration police officials had made every effort to achieve their goals for the country in the past year.”
“Even though the worldwide impact of Covid-19 to the wellbeing of people and global economy caused serious concerns, especially since the outbreak in communities on 20 February 2021, Cambodia has managed to control the pandemic,” Chantharith said.
He highlighted that immigration police had joined with the government to stop the outbreak of Covid-19, and that “all officers were on the frontline at border checkpoints” and followed the Ministry of Health’s measures with the new normal.
Immigration officials controlled land, sea and air checkpoints during the pandemic and limited the spread of the outbreak especially when foreigners crossed and were tested and quarantined if necessary.
The management of foreigners in Cambodia by immigration police had also assisted in maintaining public order and safety, said Gen Chantharith.
Department spokesman General Keo Vannthan said yesterday that from 2014 until end of 2021 “the General Department of Immigration had deported 20,824 foreigners who had overstayed.” This number represented 107 nationalities, but in 2012 had deported 3,594 illegal foreigners from 43 nationalities. They had committed 24 types of crimes with 97 overstaying their visa, said Gen Vannthan.
In the meantime, the department has information technology to monitor data and manage foreigners, foreign investors and labour. In 2021, in cooperation with the Ministry of Labour and Vocational Training, immigration police inspected factories and businesses to check if foreigners had work permits.
In particular, the management of refugees and asylum seekers in Cambodia by the department is conducted with relevant partner organisations in accordance with the conventions and agreements on refugees, of which Cambodia is a signatory, said Vannthan.
In 2021, based on the decision of the Government, the General Department of Immigration also arranged to receive Afghan workers, who are now employees of the Asia Foundation, and their families to temporarily reside in the country.
In a report by the department, police said they have strengthened the measures for visa control in and out of the country.
But there are still many foreigners who illegally stay in the country don’t have a passport, and some foreigners commit crimes.
The report said that in order to stop crime they have to train immigration officials with the skills necessary to deal with this type of behaviour, especially to solve any challenges that might occur in the future.
Immigration management had received many applications for permanent residency on 30 June 2019, and a census revealed that 28,945 families or 89,786 people had made applications.
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