Cambodia vows crackdown on corruption at border crossings

News in Asia
Cambodia vows crackdown on corruption at border crossings

The director-general of Cambodia’s Immigration Bureau has warned officers manning border control posts that a crackdown on corruption is underway. Sok Phal said that officers who accepted bribes to allow foreigners to enter the nation illegally faced disciplinary action.

The director-general also posted up the warning on the official webpages of the Cambodian police force. The statement noted that officers who had accepted backhanders had already been demoted and in one case had been sacked and taken to court.

The latter had previously worked at the crossing from Vietnam to Kandal Province checkpoint at Ka’am Samnor. The others were posted at border outposts on the frontiers with Thailand and Laos. Keo Vanthorn, a spokesperson for the Immigration Bureau, confirmed late last week that 13 officers had been disciplined in 2015.

He explained that if the offence was deemed not too serious, the official would probably be demoted or fired. He stated that for more serious transgressions the offender would feel the full weight of Cambodian law and be pursued through the country’s courts.

Cambodia currently has 14 international border crossings. Six of these are on the common border with Thailand and the rest on the Laos and Vietnam frontiers. The picture of the checkpoint at Ka’am Samnor is provided by Andy Brouwer.

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