Population and censuses

Out of four Southeast Asian countries, migrant workers from Cambodia have the worst experiences, with eight in 10 experiencing labour rights abuses while abroad and more than two-thirds reporting mental or physical health problems upon return, according to a study released by ILO and IOM ...

Interior Minister Sar Kheng said yesterday that authorities have failed to quell illegal border crossings by migrant workers. ...

A memorandum of understanding meant to beef up protections for Cambodian maids in Malaysia is still on hold after Malaysia’s human resources minister said he was not aware of the agreement, according to Malaysian media. ...

The process of revoking documents from ethnic Vietnamese people, many of whom have been living in Cambodia for generations, is halfway complete in Kampong Chhnang province, according to the provincial director of immigration. ...

Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina yesterday appealed to the Cambodian government to “support” her country in handling the refugee crisis that has seen hundreds of thousands of Rohingya pour over its border fleeing violence and persecution in neighbouring Myanmar. ...

Cambodian maids who work in Malaysia will be given smartphones, bank accounts and counselling under a new agreement signed by the two countries yesterday, an employment agency representative said – measures intended to prevent the kind of widespread abuses that resulted in a ban on ...

South Korea wants to host more migrant workers and increase agricultural imports from Cambodia, including mangoes, a meeting between the outgoing ambassador and National Assembly president Heng Samrin revealed yesterday. ...

Nearly 1,500 people died from traffic accidents in the Kingdom during the first 10 months of this year, a minor increase over last year, though the number of injured fell significantly, according to a report by the Ministry of Interior’s National Committee for Road Safety ...

With cross-border flows of migrant workers rapidly increasing since the founding of the Asean Economic Community (AEC) in 2015, industry insiders claim that this change has had both positive and negative effects on the Kingdom by reducing the levels of unemployment while highlighting the need ...

The government is negotiating with other countries to ensure the safety of migrant workers and that they receive worker benefits while toiling abroad, Prime Minister Hun Sen said yesterday. ...

The Khmer Kampuchea Krom for Human Rights and Development Association has announced plans to hold a rally in Siem Reap province to celebrate Human Rights Day next month. ...

The Minister of Planning yesterday announced the third national census set for next year will be delayed until 2019 because the government must focus on the July general election. ...

The government has relaxed regulations for migrant workers to obtain legal documents in Thailand, in a bid to encourage more workers to legitimise their presence in the country. ...

The Vietnamese Ministry of Foreign Affairs responded on Tuesday to reports that Cambodia plans to revoke documents from thousands of ethnic Vietnamese, urging the Kingdom to respect legal rights during the process. ...

Interior Minister Sar Kheng yesterday announced he has formed an assessment group – with representation from the ministry’s identification and immigration departments as well as the Ministry of Labour – to study the issues affecting Cambodian migrant workers and provide recommendations to fix them. ...

Cambodian workers in Thailand will be able to collect legal documents to legitimise their presence in the country this week. The Committee for Legalising Cambodian Workers Residing and Working in Thailand will begin issuing both travel documents and Overseas Cambodian Workers Cards under the ongoing 100-day ...

The Ministry of Interior is moving forward with a plan to revoke official documents from 70,000 individuals living in Cambodia, claiming they were “improperly” issued and mistakenly confer citizenship on “immigrants” – many of whom are ethnic Vietnamese born in Cambodia. ...

More than 500 dead Cambodians were repatriated from Thailand in the first six months of 2017, according to an Interior Ministry official. Chou Bun Eng, secretary of state at the ministry, said yesterday the 500 bodies were repatriated through three checkpoints in Banteay Meanchey province. ...

The Immigration Department yesterday confirmed that foreigners requesting long-term business visa extensions in the country are now required to submit a work permit proving their place of employment. ...

Authorities will open a new international border checkpoint in Battambang’s Sampov Lun district, connecting with Thailand’s Sa Kaeo province, early next month. ...

The Tax Department yesterday issued a letter asking the Immigration Department to prevent Deborah Krisher-Steele and Douglas Steele – both representatives of the Cambodia Daily – from leaving the country, a day after department head Kong Vibol said he would continue to pursue the tax ...

Three local NGOs are to request a meeting with the Interior Minister to discuss the granting of ID cards to Kampuchea Krom people living in Cambodia. ...

// // // // An Immigration Department official yesterday confirmed that foreigners requesting a long-term extension of their business visas would need to produce a work permit, with implementation of the rule starting September 4.    ...

Eighteen Cambodian migrant workers were repatriated from Malaysia this week after being cheated by brokers to work abroad illegally, the Foreign Affairs Ministry said yesterday. ...