Cambodian Authorities Expel Chinese Nationals Over Illegal Gambling

Last month police in the Cambodian province of Siem Reap conducted raids on suspected illegal gambling rings and this month it was revealed that 165 Chinese nationals connected with those rings are being expelled from the country.

The group will be getting booted from this country as soon as this weekend, as the Department of Immigration admitted to the Phnom Penh Post newspaper. The group was detained in a series of raids on March 28th that saw the closure of two illegal gambling rings. Along with the suspects, 150 computers and other evidence were seized.

Speaking about the case Uk Hai Seila of the General Department of Immigration said, "We are preparing the documentation and the Chinese side also needs to arrange the flight, but we expect the aircraft to arrive as soon as possible, perhaps on April 7 or 8."

"This is a big case involving more than 100 people. Previous crackdowns involved only around 10 people."

Since the beginning of last year 1,724 people have been booted from Cambodia, with more than half of those Chinese.

We'll update readers as we learn more of the expulsions.