Thai Nationals Escaping Without Pay Evade Borders by Climbing Over Rooftops into Thailand
On a Wednesday morning, ten Thai citizens illegally crossed the border from Cambodia into Thailand, fleeing from a construction job in Phnom Penh where they had been working without pay for a month[1][2][5]. The workers, who had accepted offers for construction jobs at a daily wage of 300 baht, found themselves in a difficult situation when they were not paid despite their hard work[3].
Desperate to return home, they attempted to cross the border but were asked to pay 3,000 baht by a trafficker in Poipet[4]. Lacking the money, they decided to escape by crossing rooftops into Thailand near the Ban Khlong Luek border checkpoint in Aranyaprathet district[1][2][5].
The paramilitary rangers of Thailand spotted the ten Thai citizens on a rooftop near the border checkpoint[6]. Upon their arrival at the Khlong Luek police station, the workers appeared tearful[6]. The Thai army's Burapa Task Force reported the illegal return of these ten Thai citizens on their Facebook page[7].
Thai media speculations also suggested that the returnees might have been fleeing from a scam-call center, although this was not confirmed by the workers themselves[1][2]. The nature of the force that made the Thai citizens work without pay was not detailed[8].
The Thai returnees will receive assistance, according to police[9]. All 10 of the Thai returnees were taken to Khlong Luek police station for legal processing[10].
[1] Thai PBS World [2] Bangkok Post [3] The Nation [4] Khaosod English [5] Thai Rath [6] Sanook.com [7] Burapa Task Force Facebook page [8] The Standard [9] The Bangkok Journal [10] The Phuket News
- The ten Thai citizens' harrowing journey, starting from their failure to receive wages in a construction job in Phnom Penh, has now become a general news topic, intertwining politics with crime and justice as they illegally crossed the border and evaded traffickers.
- As the story unfolds, the unfortunate return of these Thai citizens has sparked discussions in the realm of politics and crime-and-justice, with speculations about their alleged involvement in a scam-call center and the nature of the force that forced them to work without pay remaining unconfirmed.