Relief For Ghanaians As Cambodia Debunks Claims Of Barring Citizens From Entering Their Country
- Cambodian authorities have denied barring African nationals, including Ghanaians, amidst circulating false claims
- The Asian country's Ministry of Interior has referred to the misinformation as completely untrue and urges verification
- Social media reactions have reflected frustrations over media reliability in reporting important issues
The Kingdom of Cambodia has publicly addressed online claims that it is barring Ghanaians and nationals of other African countries from entering the country.
Source: Getty Images
On Thursday, May 28, 2026, a notice purportedly issued by Cambodia's General Department of Immigration under the Ministry of Interior emerged online, stating that a temporary waiver previously granted to African nationals, including citizens of Ghana, Kenya, Cameroon and Uganda, had expired.
The notice indicated that the Cambodian immigration authorities had finalised processing structures for all individuals who had accumulated overstay penalties under the previous waiver system.
As a result, all affected foreign nationals whose fines were settled had reportedly been ordered to leave Cambodia on or before May 31, 2026.
"All foreign nationals whose immigration fines have already been cleared must completely exit Cambodia on or before the 31st of May 2026," the General Department of Immigration’s official state notice directed.
According to the purported directive, African nationals found entering, remaining or residing in Cambodia from June 1, 2026, without proper legal status would face immediate arrest either at airports or other locations nationwide.
The purported notice also claimed that the Cambodian authorities also cautioned that offenders would face a two-year prison sentence and penalty of $8,000 before being allowed to leave Cambodia.
“The Cambodia Police will start arresting any foreigner at any hideout in Cambodia from the 1st of June 2026 for overstay and will hand them over to the immigration authorities for legal action,” the notice stated.
The Instagram photo of the purported notice from the Kingdom of Cambodia is below:
Cambodia denies barring African nationals from country
In a statement released on X (formerly Twitter) on Friday, May 28, 2026, Ghana's Foreign Affairs Minister Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa noted that Cambodian authorities had denied issuing any notice barring Ghanaians and other African nationals from the country.
He shared a press statement from the Cambodian Ministry of Interior which labelled the reports "untrue".
The statement read:
"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."
Source: Facebook
They also urged the public to visit the official website of the General Department of Immigration or call a hotline for more information.
In a statement accompanying his post, Ablakwa also noted that before the publication of the fake notice, several Ghanaians in Cambodia had reached out to his ministry requesting evacuation and were being assisted by the Foreign Ministry and High Commission in Malaysia.
Read the press statement from the Cambodian authorities on X below:
Cambodia's press statement stirs reactions from Ghanaians
YEN.com.gh has gathered some comments from social media users below:
D_ainoo commented:
"Thanks, Bossu. So our media houses couldn’t verify the story before publishing? Same old pattern — zero verification, just armchair journalism."
MP Kwarteng said:
"Thanks for clearing the air on these circulating falsehoods. God bless your good works for Ghana."
Real_neddy wrote:
"Does it mean that media houses in Ghana don't verify news before publishing it?"
Ghanaian man moves to Thailand, details benefits
Earlier, YEN.com.gh reported that a Ghanaian man moved to Thailand in search of better opportunities after years of hardship.
In a video, the individual detailed the significant benefits he was enjoying from his stay in the Asian country.
Source: YEN.com.gh
