US visa restricts Cambodian senior officials (Source: brecorder.com) Hanoi (VNA) – Cambodia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on September 14 that US visa restrictions on Cambodian foreign ministry officials are "unreasonable" and against the spirit of good cooperation between the two countries.
Visa restrictions are the sovereign rights of the United States government, however, linking these restrictions to the repatriation of Cambodian nationals is unreasonable, the ministry said in a statement.
The US’s reason for discontinuing the granting of visas surprised Cambodia since the country has not denied or unreasonably delayed its nationals deported from the US entry to the country, said the statement.
Cambodia is still prepared to accept its nationals deported from the US and will try to ensure that those Cambodians will successfully reintegrate into society and begin their new lives with decency and dignity, it added.
Previously on September 13, the US stopped issuing some types of visa to high-level Cambodian Ministry of Foreign Affairs employees and their families. It said the restrictions came after Cambodia refused to accept the return of its nationals expelled from the US.
In April, Cambodian Prime Minister Samdech Techo Hun Sen said Cambodia did not cancel a deportation agreement with the United States, which was signed in 2012, but asked the US to amend the agreement to allow Cambodians convicted of felonies to stay in the US after serving their prison sentence.
Under the current agreement, Cambodians who are permanent residents of the US are deported if they are convicted of a felony.-VNA
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