The US State Department has expanded its visa restrictions on Cambodia after the official results of the country's election on July 29 were confirmed.
In a press briefing on Wednesday, US State Department spokesperson Heather Nauert said that since the US has characterised the election as "flawed and neither free nor fair" the restrictions were issued, Xinhua news agency reported. In a report by time, the State Department said that it will be extending the ban to an undisclosed number of Cambodian citizens.
Heather Nauert also said, "The new visa restrictions will pick out individuals both within and outside the Cambodian government" responsible for "the most notable anti-democratic actions taken in the run-up to the flawed July 29 election."
The announcement followed the Cambodian electoral committee's announcement that the ruling Cambodian People's Party of Prime Minister Samdech Techo Hun Sen won all the 125 parliamentary seats.
"The expanded entry restrictions may apply to individuals both within and outside the Cambodian government" that are responsible for the "anti-democratic" actions taken in the run-up to the election, Nauert said. According to Time, the elections were 'widely condemned' by right groups both national and international and claimed that the elections were flawed and illegitimate.
The visa restrictions were initiated on December 6, 2017, on individuals involved in the undermining of democracy in the Asian country.
The Cambodian Foreign Ministry in December 2017 had expressed dissatisfaction over the decision saying "the move was politically motivated with prejudice and double standards".
(With inputs from IANS)
