CityNews – Fear of a military crackdown on illegal migrant workers has caused tens of thousands of Cambodians working in Thailand to flee the country and return to their homes in the last few weeks. The Head of Customs at the Aranyaprathet Border Checkpoint described the situation as “chaos” since workers have been fleeing the country.
The Aranyaprathet border crossing to Cambodia.Immigrant workers, both legal and illegal, play a large role in the Thai economy, working in factories, construction sites and as domestic servants. The mass departure of immigrant workers threatens to hurt many industries which rely on the use of Cambodian labour, and could also strain the relationship between the two countries.
On Sunday, 15th June, according to a Thai police official, six Cambodian workers along with their Thai driver died in a car accident that left another 12 people injured. They were trying to flee the country at the Aranyaprathet border in the Sa Kaeo province, which is a notorious hotspot for illegal border-crossing into Thailand. The province of Sa Kaeo borders Cambodia to the East.