The Government of Cambodia has dismissed as false online reports claiming that Africans living in the country had been ordered to leave by May 31, 2026 or face arrest, imprisonment and heavy fines.
In a press clarification issued on May 29 from Phnom Penh, Cambodia’s General Department of Immigration under the Ministry of Interior said reports circulating online under the headline “Cambodia Orders Africans with Expired Immigration Waivers to Leave by May 31, 2026” were fabricated.
“The General Department of Immigration of the Ministry of Interior of the Kingdom of Cambodia wishes to clarify that the information published on those websites is completely untrue,” the statement from Phnom Penh said.
The clarification followed the circulation of a purported immigration notice targeting African nationals, including Ugandans, Kenyans, Ghanaians and Cameroonians, claiming they would be arrested, jailed and fined if they remained in Cambodia beyond May 31.
The disputed notice alleged that foreigners found in Cambodia from June 1 would “be arrested at the airport or at any location,” serve a two-year jail term and pay a penalty of $8,000 before being allowed to leave the country.
Although Cambodia has dismissed the notice as fake, the incident has drawn renewed attention to the growing number of Ugandans travelling to Southeast Asia, particularly Thailand and Cambodia, where many have reportedly become trapped in human trafficking and cybercrime syndicates.
Over the past two years, Ugandan authorities and diplomats in Asia have repeatedly warned young people against accepting suspicious job offers advertised online by recruiters promising well-paying opportunities in Bangkok and other Asian cities.
Officials say many victims are lured through social media platforms with promises of customer care, hospitality or office jobs, only to discover after arrival that they are transported across borders into Cambodia, Myanmar or Laos.
Thailand has increasingly become a transit point because obtaining tourist visas is comparatively easier than for several other Asian destinations.
According to accounts from survivors and regional anti-trafficking agencies, some Ugandans who land in Bangkok are later driven across remote border crossings into heavily guarded compounds allegedly operated by criminal networks.
Inside the compounds, victims are reportedly forced into online scam operations targeting people across Europe, Asia and North America.
Some survivors have spoken of having their passports confiscated and being compelled to work long hours operating fake cryptocurrency schemes, romance scams and fraudulent investment platforms.
Human rights organisations and international agencies have also documented cases of physical abuse, intimidation and detention involving workers who fail to meet targets set by traffickers.
Female victims face additional risks, with reports indicating that some are pushed into commercial sexual exploitation after being told they owe traffickers large travel-related debts.
Earlier this year, Uganda’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced plans to support the repatriation of hundreds of Ugandans stranded in Cambodia following crackdowns on illegal scam centres by authorities in the region.
International organisations, including the International Organization for Migration (IOM), have also participated in rescue and repatriation efforts involving trafficking victims from Myanmar and neighbouring countries.
Against that backdrop, the fake deportation notice triggered anxiety among Ugandans with relatives believed to be living or working in Cambodia and nearby countries.
However, Cambodian authorities insisted that the information was fabricated and urged the public to rely only on official immigration communication channels.
“To obtain official information, the national and international public are requested to visit the official website of the General Department of Immigration,” the statement from Phnom Penh added.
