About 50 Cambodians, who used to work in Thailand but returned to their country after their government promised them better jobs and a better life, were arrested in Thailand’s eastern province of Chanthaburi last night.
They told Thai authorities that they found no well-paid jobs, as promised, and decided to risk arrest by sneaking back into Thailand. They told officials that they had been deceived by their leaders’ promises.
Thailand and Cambodia have been locked in a conflict that erupted into deadly military action late last month.
Due to the bloodiest conflicts in recent history between the two countries, the Cambodian government had urged Cambodians to return home, with promises of better jobs and better pay, or face, what they claimed would be, discrimination in Thailand.
The men, women, children and even infants, were apprehended in Pong Nam Ron district after the authorities had received tip-offs that Cambodian workers would be smuggled back into Thailand to work for local employers.
They then set up checkpoints at the crossing points and, at around 8pm, they spotted the Cambodians crossing the border on foot.
A black truck was waiting to pick them up and take them to a house in Ban Khlong Bon of Nong Tako sub-district in Pong Nam Ron district.
The officers searched the house and detained all the migrants, along with the alleged trafficker, 49-year-old Somnuek Phadleck, who claimed that this was the first time that he had been involved in trafficking.
