Another 17 people are to be deported for living illegally in Kampong Chhnang province, bringing the total number of deportations to more than 500 nationwide since a foreigner census began in late August.

Prak Vuthy, Kampong Chnnang provincial police chief, said yesterday that between Monday and Wednesday, 16 Vietnamese nationals and one Chinese citizen were arrested for illegally living in the province.

“They were sent to the [immigration] department, which is taking legal action against them,” Vuthy said, adding that a total of 25 Vietnamese and two Chinese nationals have been arrested this month.

Sok Phal, head of the immigration department, said his department received the Vietnamese and Chinese nationals and plans on initiating their deportation in the next few days.

So far, 507 foreigners have been deported from Cambodia, not including the latest group from Kampong Chhnang, said Phal.

That number includes 350 Vietnamese nationals and the rest from 12 other countries, Phal said, declining to say which countries those were.

The census has been presented as a way of accurately accounting for the number of foreigners living in Cambodia but has sparked concerns that Vietnamese people – many of whom have lived in the Kingdom for generations – could be unjustly targeted.