July 3, 2025
PHNOM PENH – The Constitutional Council of Cambodia (CCC) has announced that amending Article 33 of the Constitution is “possible”, following a proposal by Senate president Hun Sen that the Minister of Justice review this supreme law and allow the citizenship of Cambodian citizens that collude with foreigners to be revoked.
However, the idea has received mixed reactions.
“Following a plenary meeting, the Constitutional Council respectfully submits to His Majesty, the revered King and supreme figure, that the proposed amendment to Article 33 of the Cambodian Constitution is feasible,” said a June 2 secretariat press release, following the meeting of the CCC Secretariat in the morning.
Article 33 of the Constitution states: “Khmer citizens shall not be deprived of their nationality, exiled or arrested to be extradited to a foreign country, except when there is a mutual agreement. Khmer citizens residing abroad are under the protection of the State. The acquisition of Khmer nationality shall be determined by law.”
On June 27, Hun Sen raised concerns about the involvement of some Cambodian citizens with foreigners to oppose national interests, particularly the current border issues with Thailand. His remarks likely targeted Sam Rainsy, the former opposition leader who recently criticised Hun Sen over border matters.
Amid the ongoing border issues, the petition supporting this amendment has not garnered as much attention as previous cases. Nevertheless, several ministries, institutions and local organisations have issued statements of support.
Some citizens have posted on social media, questioning: “If a person is born Khmer and holds Khmer citizenship, where would they go if their citizenship is revoked?”
Kin Phea, director of the International Relations Institute at the Royal Academy of Cambodia, noted that opposition figures like Sam Rainsy are unconcerned about citizenship revocation because they hold dual citizenship. He argued that revoking citizenship would play into the hands of the opposition.
“This means revoking citizenship is unnecessary. We should not act like the Lon Nol regime or fall into Sam Rainsy’s trap. It would be better to amend the election law to require all politicians, whether at the national or local level, to hold only Khmer citizenship by birth, rather than amending the Constitution to revoke birthright Khmer citizenship, which could lead to other political consequences,” he said.