THAILAND: More Cambodian migrant workers, fearing reprisals from Thailand's new military government, cross the border to go home

Record ID: 335629

  • Title: THAILAND: More Cambodian migrant workers, fearing reprisals from Thailand's new military government, cross the border to go home
  • Date: 18th June 2014
  • Summary: ARANYAPRATHET DISTRICT, SA KAEW PROVINCE, THAILAND (JUNE 18, 2014) (REUTERS) TRAIN ARRIVING AT STATION TRAIN COMING TO A STOP AT STATION VARIOUS OF PEOPLE BRINGING DOWN THEIR BELONGINGS FROM THE TRAIN PEOPLE GETTING OFF THE TRAIN PEOPLE CARRYING BELONGINGS AND WALKING MEN CARRYING TV SETS ON BACKS (SOUNDBITE) (Thai) 25-YEAR-OLD CAMBODIAN WORKER, SOPHEALA TEP, SAYING: "As
  • Embargoed: 3rd July 2014 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Thailand
  • Country: Thailand
  • Topics: International Relations
  • Reuters ID: LVADBBHP8ILIKJESUB9QEXSUU239
  • Story Text: Cambodians working in Thailand continued to flee the country on Wednesday (June 18) in a chaotic exodus that appears to be driven by fears of a crackdown on illegal foreign laborers by the military junta that seized power in Thailand last month.
    Around 170,000 Cambodian workers have headed home in the past week, according to the International Organization for Migration (IOM), although the exodus is now slowing. Many left after hearing rumours that Thailand's junta was bent on cracking down on illegal migrants.
    The generals who seized power on May 22 to end six months of political turmoil have promised no action against those working legally in Thailand. But junta leader Prayuth Chan-ocha pledged last week to "tighten" laws applied to foreign labourers.
    The junta blames the departures on "unfounded rumours" of imminent action against illegal workers. Tanit Numnoi, a senior Ministry of Labour official, said workers could return once their papers were in order.
    But many Cambodian workers, arriving by rain to the border district of Aranyaprathet of Sa Kaew province, were having none of it. More than 15,000 Cambodians are estimated to have crossed through the Thai-Cambodia border checkpoints in the province in the past week.
    While some are gone for good, some said that they were just going back to get their legal documents sorted out.

    "As for me, I still don't have the legal documents to work here, so I'm going back first to get my passport and then I will come back to work. My (Thai) employer is waiting for me too," said 25-year-old Sopheala Tep, who had worked as a security guard in Bangkok.
    At another border checkpoint in adjacent Wattana Nakhon district, Thai soldiers, border patrol police, and immigration officials facilitated the border passing process by keeping a record of their number, names and finger prints.
    The abrupt departures threaten to strain relations between the two countries and could hurt both Thai industries that rely on Cambodian workers and the Cambodian economy, which benefits from the workers' remittances.
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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