Minister of Foreign Affairs, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, has revealed that 85 Ghanaians have been evacuated from Cambodia between March and May this year, with 76 more currently being processed for evacuation.
The Minister disclosed this in a Facebook post while dismissing reports claiming that Ghanaians had been ordered to leave Cambodia by May 31 or face arrest.
According to him, the notice circulating on social media was fake and had not been issued by Cambodian authorities.
Mr Ablakwa said Ghana’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs engaged Cambodian officials, who confirmed that no such directive had been issued against Ghanaians or other African nationals.
He added that Cambodia’s Ministry of Interior had also released an official statement describing the viral notice as “completely untrue.”
Despite dismissing the reports, the Foreign Affairs Minister disclosed that some Ghanaians in Cambodia had earlier contacted the ministry requesting assistance to return home.
According to him, the evacuation exercise is being coordinated by Ghana’s Foreign Affairs Ministry together with Ghana’s High Commission in Malaysia.
“I can, however, assure Ghanaians that prior to the publication of this fake notice, a number of Ghanaians in Cambodia had reached out to us requesting to be evacuated, and are already being assisted by the Foreign Ministry and our High Commission in Malaysia,” he stated.
Mr Ablakwa reiterated the government’s commitment to protecting the welfare of Ghanaians living abroad.
“The welfare of Ghanaians anywhere in the world remains our priority,” he added.
The clarification comes after widespread social media reports alleged that Cambodian authorities had directed some African nationals with expired immigration waivers to leave the country before the end of May or risk arrest.–Citifmonline.com
