PHNOM PENH, April 7 (Xinhua) -- Cambodia had expelled 3,594 illegal immigrants in more than 40 nationalities to their birth countries in 2021, according to a report released by the General Department of Immigration (GDI) on Thursday.
Some 2,899, or 80 percent, of the deportees are Thais, the report said.
GDI Director General Kirth Chantharith said on Wednesday that any alien living in the country without valid documents such as passports and visas and foreign fugitives are subject to deportation.
"Despite challenges caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, the GDI has worked actively to administer foreigners living in Cambodia, aiming to maintain security, public order and safety as well as social development," he said during the GDI's annual conference.
According to the report, from 2014 to 2021, Cambodia had expelled a total of 20,824 illegal aliens in 107 nationalities to their birth countries.
Apart from deportations, last year, the Southeast Asian nation had also arrested 4,311 foreigners for committing various crimes in 896 cases, the report said. ■
