Tourism Ministry Calls for Confidence in Government’s Measures against All Forms of Crime and False Information

date_range 28-Oct-2024
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Phnom Penh, October 28, 2024 --

The Ministry of Tourism has urged the public, as well as national and international tourists, to have confidence in the measures and actions taken by the Royal Government of Cambodia to combat all forms of crime and decisively counter the spread of false information.

The call was made after a Korean television channel had recently broadcasted a report accusing that Korean citizens have been subjected to illegal detention, forced labour, and threats in Cambodia.

In its statement released yesterday, the Ministry of Tourism said previously, the General Commissariat of National Police strongly denied the misleading reports by Korean television regarding the above accusations which are false and misleading for both national and international public opinion about Cambodia. The Ministry of Interior has also subsequently issued statements refuting similar reports from some foreign media outlets that distort Cambodia's image, claiming that the country tolerates human trafficking, illegal detention, mistreatment of foreign workers, and forced involvement in illegal call centre operations.

“The Ministry of Tourism wishes to inform the public and all national and international tourists that under the wise leadership of Samdech Thipadei the Prime Minister, Cambodia continues to maintain peace, political stability, security, and public order, which are essential foundations for development across all sectors, including tourism,” the statement said.

Specifically, it continued, in 2023, Cambodia received over 5.45 million international tourists, an increase of 139.5 percent. For the first nine months of 2024, Cambodia welcomed approximately 4.8 million international tourists, an increase of 22.2 percent, which includes 144,293 tourists from Korea, an increase of 14.8 percent compared to the same period in 2023. Cambodia is projected to receive around 7 million international tourists by 2025. At the same time, the Ministry of Tourism invites national and international tourists to actively participate in the upcoming Water Festival in Phnom Penh from Nov. 14-16, and the Sea Festival in Kampot province from Dec. 13-15.

“The Ministry of Tourism urges relevant media outlets to adhere to professional ethical standards correcting and ceasing the dissemination of false information that impacts Cambodia's international stage,” the statement concluded.