Phnom Penh (FN), September 14 - Hun Manet, elder son of Prime Minister Hun Sen, on Thursday, reacted to the U.S Embassy's notice on visa suspension.

"Many Cambodian Americans have approached me and asked me if I could help convince Royal Government of Cambodian (RCG) NOT to accept some Cambodian deportees back to Cambodia. Some even blamed RCG for these deportees's separations from families in the US because of RCG's acceptance of them back home. They said that if RCG did not accept them, the US would not deport them back to Cambodia, and they, thus, can stay with their families in the US. So now, RCG does exactly what many Cambodian Americans has pleaded for it to do all along, which is not accepting some Cambodian detainees back to Cambodia," Hun Manet wrote on Facebook today.

"The result: US government imposes Visa restriction on some Cambodian government officials and their families, as a punitive measure against RCG's refusal to accept some Cambodian deportees back to Cambodia," he continued.

Manet reflected that this may not be the desirable outcome for many Cambodian deportees and their families, as well as many Cambodian Americans, who have been campaigning and pleading for a chance that some possible Cambodian deportees are not sent back to Cambodia, so that they can continue to stay with their families in the US.

The U.S. Embassy in Phnom Penh, Cambodia yesterday has discontinued issuing B1, B2, and B1/B2 visas for Cambodian Ministry of Foreign Affairs employees with the rank of Director General and above, and their families, with limited exceptions.

Under Section 243(d) of the Immigration and Nationality Act, when so requested by the Secretary of Homeland Security due to a particular country’s refusal to accept or unreasonably delay the return of its nationals, the Secretary of State must order consular officers to suspend issuing visas until informed by the Secretary of Homeland Security that the country in question has accepted the individuals.
=FRESH NEWS