Why 6,000 Chinese Nationals Are Leaving Cambodia Every Day...

Source: www.rfa.org

At least 6,000 Chinese nationals have left Cambodia each day for a total of around 120,000 departures since the announcement of a ban on online gambling two weeks ago, according to the countrys Interior Ministry, who said the exodus is likely linked to the new measure.

While Chinese tourists and investors continue to flock to Cambodia at a rate of around 5,000 daily, the Interior Ministrys General Department of Immigration spokesman Ath Bony told RFAs Khmer Service, at least 6,000 have left Cambodia every day since Prime Minister Hun Sen announced the ban on Aug. 18, saying the online gambling industry had been used by foreign criminals to extort money.

A recent report by the National Police, under Cambodias Ministry of the Interior, said that there are some 250,000 Chinese nationals living in Cambodia, including around 100,000 each in the capital Phnom Penh and Preah Sihanouk province.

Chinese investment has flowed into casinos, hotels, and real estate in Cambodiaparticularly in Preah Sihanouk province and its largest town, Sihanoukville, turning the once sleepy seaside town into a flash point for Cambodians concerned about Chinese economic penetration of their country.

Hun Sens announcement of the ban on online gambling, which puts an end to the issuance of new licenses and will force all related businesses to close operations by the end of 2019, came days after Cambodian police arrested 127 Chinese nationals in Sihanoukville who were suspected of involvement in an internet scam used to extort funds from Chinese citizens in China.

Beijing has expressed support for the ban, saying China stands ready to work with Cambodia to take effective measures to deepen law enforcement.

Last week, Cambodias Interior Ministry, working with Chinese police, arrested 150 Chinese nationals in both Sihanoukville and Svay Rieng provinces town of Bavet, on Cambodias border with Vietnam, deporting them to face charges in connection with a scam that Chinas official Xinhua news agency said had defrauded more than 10,000 victims in 28 Chinese provinces of around U.S. $14 million.

Banned jobs

The exodus of Chinese nationals from Cambodia also follows a directive barring self-employed foreigners from working in 10 categories of jobs.

The Aug. 28 order, signed by Minister of Labor and Vocational Training Ith Samheng, prohibits self-employed foreign nationals from working as taxi drivers, barbers, street vendors, massage therapists, shoe shiners, tailors, mechanics, goldsmiths and gem cutters, sculptors of Buddha statues, and producers of Khmer souvenirs or musical instruments.

Anyone violating this directive will be fined and punished in accordance with the Labor Law and other effective regulations.the minister of labor said. 

Heng Sour told the Phnom Penh Post last week that the move will help protect the jobs of Cambodian people and create more employment opportunities in areas where foreigners had previously worked in the 10 categories specified.

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