PHNOM PENH, July 29 (FN) — Nearly 26,000 undocumented Cambodian workers were deported by Thai authorities during the first six months of 2016, the Khmer Times reported on Friday, citing a senior official.

Suon Bovor, governor of Banteay Meanchey province, which borders Thailand, said the figures showed that 25,925 undocumented Cambodian migrant workers had been deported from Thailand during the January-June period this year and 358 of them had been imprisoned in Thailand for more than a month.

"An average of about 140 undocumented Cambodian workers are deported from Thailand every day due to a lack of proper documents and visas or, in some cases, passports," the newspaper quoted the governor as saying.

Earlier this week, Cambodia's Interior Minister Sar Kheng ordered provincial authorities to close all unauthorized entry points along the Cambodia-Thailand border to prevent illegal immigration and imports.