Cambodia copies Thailand with crackdown on registration of foreigners

[buksida]

Interior minister Sar Kheng has instructed all residence owners around the country of the need to report foreigners who come to stay in their residences to strengthen immigration law enforcement.

According to the statement of the interior minister, it said that since the interior ministry issued a statement since 2010, the ministry has concluded that a majority of residence owners have respected the law but some residence owners still did not understand their obligation and also did not respect the law.

“To strengthen immigration law enforcement and to improve the registration of foreigners residing in the country is necessary to ensure security, public order and social safety,” the statement said.

The interior ministry provided a memorandum which contained seven points including such as the requirement for all residence owners to report foreigners residing in their property to the commune police officials in their location within 24 hours and in case, residence owners are foreigners, they must provide additional information of the people residing in the properties within 24 hours.

The statement added that General Department of Immigration has a responsibility to implement and disseminate the memorandum and its contents to residence owners and all relevant officials around the country.

Source: https://www.khmertimeskh.com/50625776/s ... -cambodia/

[Nereus]

Ah yes. Cannot have those bloody Thais being one step ahead of us!

[lomuamart]

Seems to me more like the Chinese taking control of SE Asia. That's all.

[Nereus]

Seems to me more like the Chinese taking control of SE Asia. That's all.

Do you think it applies to the Chinese? I doubt it very much!

[lomuamart]

Who else then?

I'm not trying to be argumentative but..

[Nereus]

Who else then?
I'm not trying to be argumentative but..

Well, over recent years there has been a big problem with foreign pedophiles for one thing. In 2011 the government enacted a law prohibiting foreigners over 50 years of age marrying Cambodian girls. I believe that may have been changed a bit later, but was replaced with some other restrictions. There have been international reports concerning
exploitation of kids by foreigners in orphanages. I am sure that there are other examples if you dig around a bit.

My point is that in bending over backwards to welcome Chinese, do you really think the government is going to crack down on Chinese?

Maybe better to ask Barrys, as he lives there.

[lomuamart]

No, I don't see the Cambodians cracking down on Chinese. Rather, totally the other way around.

There are bad people all over the world. I'm sure most countries would like to get control of them and for good reasons.

I've been back to the UK four times in the past 15 months and I've given my address here umpteen times. It wasn't that long ago that some idiot in the Thai government suggested that all visitors to this glorious land should be electronically tagged.

I know that perverts should be kept out but with the crap going on in Hong Kong - Chinese driven - I don't think I'm wrong with the influence they're bringing to Cambodia and the rest of the region.

[Spitfire]

I can't help feeling that this security paranoia and the new nonsense in these countries is at the bidding of China or they are copying them. They all know the writing is on the wall and Cambodia are, in some ways, further into the jaws of Beijing than Thailand is. It won't be long before Chinese military are on Cambodian soil in that base that is like 100 km from Thailand that they abruptly refused help from the US to repair ... wonder why?

Hun Sen is a sell-out dinosaur who will be gone soon but the Cambodian people are/have been sold out and will be the losers.

It wouldn't surprise me if this overly paranoid immigration direction harmonizes all over SEA. Seems like the only resistance to anything comes from the Viets as they distrust and suspect the Chinese a lot ... and rightly so.

Thailand will appease Beijing so as to try to do the age old neutral dance that they often have done ... but it might not work this time. China has pretty much managed to weaponize everything from tourism to investment to all sorts, so as to entrap nations and they won't even have to fire a shot to get what they want. Certainly for these SEA nations that are low hanging fruit under the jackboot and run by greedy elite types that are half Chinese anyhow. By the time the locals wake up from their slavish lives it will be too late.

[sateeb]

How innovative of the Chinese, its not like the US, Great Britain, France etc have tried to exert influence on the world stage.

[barrys]

Well, here goes: I've lived in Cambodia for almost the last 5 years - the 1st year in Sihanoukville and then in a small seaside town.

The conditions for foreigners to stay here are really quite lax.

To get a 1-year retirement or business visa, you simply apply through a travel agent or go to the Immigration Office in Phnom Penh. The first option costs 300 US, the second 180 US. There are no financial requirements, no forms to fill in and no 3-monthly reporting. The visa is also multiple entry, so no exit permits required.
I normally get a visit from the local immigration police once or twice a year. They have a cup of coffee and just want to check my passport/visa and make sure my circumstances haven't changed, e.g. that I haven't taken up any work.
The first time they came, they stuck a piece of paper in the back of my passport with the names and phone numbers of 4 officers and said that if I ever had a problem, I could call any one of them. I actually had a need to use it once and they were very helpful.

To run your own business here as a foreigner, you need a work permit (ca. 100 US/year) on top of your business visa. You don't have to set up a limited company. It is sufficient to register your business, after which you can run it as a sole trader, i.e. you don't need a local partner.
So foreigners here can run their own bar/restaurant, do their own cooking and serving, etc.

We have 2 rental units and so far my wife hasn't had to fill in any forms. She's simply expected to tell immigration when someone new moves in and supply a copy of the person's passport/visa. They then visit the tenant as above. We have not been informed of any more stringent regulations.

Regarding paedophiles, the situation has improved, with the police making more arrests and getting convictions and the relevant NGOs becoming more proactive.

Concerning the 'Chinese problem', this is pretty much confined to Sihanoukville at the moment. They apparently now control 90 of businesses there. Though Koh Kong looks to be going the same way eventually.

Those Khmers that have land/property to lease/sell to the Chinese are cleaning up, while local Khmer businesses are being marginalised because of the Chinese preference to create a closed-loop economy.

How the macro-political situation will eventually pan out is anyone's guess, but the US certainly didn't help matters a couple of years ago when it asserted a 'debt claim' against Cambodia in the sum of 500 million US for out-of-date military rations supplied as 'food aid' while at the same time illegally bombing the shite out of a neutral country as an intentional policy to get at the Vietnamese .....................

[Spitfire]

Good and informative post barrys ... nice one. Always like posts that inform other than the pithy one-liners.

[oakdale160]

barrys--see pm

[barrys]

barrys--see pm

Got it! Could you PM me your email address please?