The Cambodian government has publicly declared and recognizes, in principle, that Khmer Krom are entitled to Cambodian citizenship. Indeed, most Khmer Krom likely have proof of Cambodian citizenship and are well integrated into society. However, there has been regular civil society reporting that a large number of both long-term residents and more recent arrivals from Vietnam face significant obstacles when trying to formalize their Cambodian citizenship, especially with regard to applying for a Cambodian national identity card.67 Estimates in these reports of Khmer Krom living in Cambodia who do not hold proof of Cambodian nationality in form of a national ID card are put at around 20-30 percent. Some also struggle to access civil registration.68 The government itself has no data on the number of Khmer Krom in the country who do not hold Cambodian national ID cards.69 Yet, authorities acknowledge that Khmer Krom may struggle with the administrative process for accessing proof of nationality: Some have not provided the necessary information in their request for identification documents and others do not have official documents identifying them as Khmer origins or born of Cambodian parents. Non-verbal claims or the ability to speak Khmer without proper documentation does not signify that a person is a Cambodian citizen. In order to obtain a Cambodian identification card, these persons must satisfy all the criteria...70 Accordingly, local officials often refuse to grant applications for an ID card on the grounds that many Khmer Krom do not satisfy the administrative requirements, including lack of proof of a permanent residence in Cambodia and lack of a birth certificate or proof of citizenship of their 67 See CCHR, ACT & KKKHRA (2017) ‘Citizenship Rights for Khmer Krom in Cambodia’, Phnom Penh. <https://cchrcambodia.org/storage/posts/1657/2017-01-27-reports-eng-citizenship-rights-for-khmerkrom-in-cambodia.pdf> (10 July 2024); and CCHR (2011) ‘False Promise: Exploring the Citizenship Rights of the Khmer Krom in Cambodia’, Phnom Penh. <https://cchrcambodia.org/storage/ posts/1568/2011-07-04-reports-eng-false-promises-exploring-the-citizenship-rights-of-the-khmer-kromin-cambodia.pdf> (10 July 2024) 68 CCHR, ACT & KKKHRA 2017, 4-5. 69 ‘Statement for the Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination’, Geneva, INT/CERD/STA/ KHM/39763, 28-29 November 2019. 70 The criteria being: “(i) age 15 and above, (ii) a Cambodian Birth Certificate or court order indicating that the person was born of Cambodian parents or a Royal Decree on granting Cambodian citizenship or official legal documents indicating that the person was born of Cambodian parents, and (iii) a Family Book or Residence Book or a residence registration letter for the purpose of making an identification card”. Quoted from ‘Statement for the Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination’, Geneva, INT/CERD/STA/KHM/39763, 28-29 November 2019. 71 See also MIRO (2013) ‘Khmer Krom Human Rights Situation: Marginalization of Women in Disadvantaged Communities’, Investigative Research Report, Phnom Penh, September 2013. 20