"I was scared of what they were planning on doing with me"
An Indian woman claimed she was a victim of racism when she was allegedly denied entry into Cambodia.
Nida Merchant, who is a DJ, was travelling solo from Vietnam to Cambodia.
In a video, she said she was denied entry into the country, despite having a visa.
Nida alleged that immigration officials mistreated her to the point where she felt unsafe.
Claiming the officials laughed at her and insisted that she accompany them on a bike if she wanted to enter the country, Nida claimed they told her they could deny entry to “Bangladeshis and Indians”.
The DJ wrote: “I cut my trip short and came back directly from Vietnam after being denied entry into Cambodia for racist reasons.
“Rumour has it they do it a lot but guess what it’s not a rumour.
“A shady official tried to lock up my suitcase and get me to jump onto a bike with him if I wanted to get into Cambodia.
“My suitcase was broken and I was scared of what they were planning on doing with me, as I was travelling alone!”
She stated that the experience left a “bad taste in my mouth”.
Nida continued: “I literally turned back got the last ferry out of Ha Tien back to Phu Quoc and flew back to Ho Chi Minh so I could fly back home safely on the 4th of Jan!
“This is for other people, backpackers, tourists, etc travelling to Cambodia, they have a list of countries, India, Nepal, etc that don’t get entry into the country.”
According to Nida, a taxi driver told her that Indians have not been allowed to cross the border into Cambodia for months.
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The viral video led to other Indians revealing that they had also faced racism at Cambodian ports and airports.
One said:
“Land border of Cambodia and Vietnam had many such incidents of scam! Glad that you are safe!!”
Another recalled: “Exactly the same happened with me.
“They were asking for a bribe directly to my face but I denied. Instead, they asked for bank proof which I had with me.
“In the end, it was all smooth. Indians who want to enter Cambodia must be prepared for the worst-case scenario.”
However, some pointed out that a Cambodian e-Visa did not guarantee Indians entry from waterway ports, especially if they are not e-Visa ports.
One commented: “You showed an e-Visa in the video and it clearly mentions that you’re only allowed to enter through valid e-Visa ports and there isn’t one around the Ha-Tien border.
“If you faced harassment that’s wrong but I think you were simply denied entry because of that.”
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