KOROR (Island Times/Pacnews) — According to the latest report from the Office of the Attorney General, as of April 3, 2025, the government of Palau had expanded its list of “undesirable aliens” to 533 individuals, up from over 400 in January of this year.
The list includes foreign nationals whose entry permits have been denied or revoked by presidential order for reasons deemed in the country’s best interests.
This list has been in existence since 2016, with names submitted by former President Tommy E. Remengesau Jr., along with subsequent additions by President Surangel Whipps Jr, including the most recent entries.
The list includes individuals from 18 different countries, with the highest number coming from the People’s Republic of China. Other countries represented include the Philippines, Bangladesh, Vanuatu, Vietnam, Taiwan, Malaysia, India, the United States, St. Kitts, Yap (in the Federated States of Micronesia), the Marshall Islands, Nepal, Singapore, Cameroon, Suriname, Turkey, Cambodia, and Cyprus.
Many of the Chinese nationals listed were involved in online gambling operations and either voluntarily left or were ordered to leave in 2022.
Notable individuals on the list include Cay Yan and Gina Zhou, who were convicted in 2023 in the United States for conspiring to engage in bribery involving high-ranking officials from the Republic of the Marshall Islands. Both possessed Marshall Islands passports when they were denied entry to Palau in February. The RMI government subsequently canceled their passports in March.
Another significant individual is Wang Shuiming, who was arrested in Singapore in August 2023 for laundering over $2.3 billion linked to illegal gambling and online fraud. He was convicted in May 2024 and deported to Japan the following month.
Palau government authorities informed Island Times that Wang had visited Palau in early January and reportedly departed on a private jet to the Maldives. From the Maldives, he arrived in Montenegro, where he was arrested based on an international warrant from China. The reason for Wang’s visit to Palau remains unclear.
Palau’s Immigration Act, codified in 13 PNCA Section 1005, grants the president the authority to deny or revoke entry permits if such actions are deemed “in the best interest of the Republic.”
The criteria for being classified as an “undesirable alien” include acts of treason against the United States, Palau’s key ally.
Individuals on the list may be deported by court order, self-deport, or be identified by the president as meeting any of nine legal criteria for classification as an “undesirable alien.”
