MRS. HENG SAY CHENG
BORN IN 1954 IN TAKEO, LIVES IN KANAGAWA

After Cambodia fell to the Khmer Rouge in 1975, a Cambodian passport from Lon Nol was no longer valid internationally.

Scholarship students who went to Japan before the Khmer Rouge and got stuck there due to the war have used (or are still using) a re-entry permit which is only valid in Japan. This is the same for any Cambodian refugees who have been in Japan since 1980. If one remains in Japan, there’s no problem, but if one wants to travel abroad, it would be difficult because the permit is only used for entering Japan. It would be difficult to use it in other international airports because their name, date of birth and address are all written in Japanese.

In order to travel to other countries, those with re-entry permits require a visa to destination countries with a document certified by City Hall attached.

Until the present day, many Cambodian diasporas continue to use this type of passport except for those who became Japanese citizens, who can carry a Japanese passport.