16 Cambodian migrant workers caught hiding in sugarcane fields in Sa Kaeo

Illegal migrants risk lives to evade hunger and unemployment

Bright Choomanee2 weeks agoLast Updated: Wednesday, September 3, 2025

118 1 minute read

16 Cambodian migrant workers caught hiding in sugarcane fields in Sa Kaeo | Thaiger — Picture courtesy of สระแก้วบ้านเรา Facebook

Today, 2 September, at 4.20am, Eastern Military Force’s Aranyaprathet Task Force, including Ranger Company 1204 and the 30th Cavalry Battalion, carried out a patrol in Baan Phan Suek, Village 5, Phan Suk Subdistrict, Aranyaprathet District. During the operation, soldiers discovered a group of suspicious people hiding in a sugarcane field at the edge of the village.

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Upon inspection, 16 Cambodian migrant workers were found, 11 men and 5 women. Preliminary questioning revealed that all had entered Thailand in search of construction work.

Each had agreed to pay roughly 6,000 baht (US$185) to a human trafficker upon arrival at their destination and had already handed over 1,500 baht (US$45) each before crossing the border illegally and hiding in the sugarcane fields to await transport deeper into Thailand.

16 Cambodian migrant workers caught hiding in sugarcane fields in Sa Kaeo | News by Thaiger — Picture courtesy of สระแก้วบ้านเรา Facebook

Some of the migrants explained that the Cambodian government had previously ordered them to return home, promising job placements and support for their livelihoods.

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However, after returning, they found no assistance and faced hunger and unemployment. This forced them to risk their lives by attempting to cross back into Thailand in hopes of a better future, reported Ch7.

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All 16 were taken into military custody at Ranger Company 1204 before being handed over to Khlong Nam Sai Police Station for legal proceedings. They will eventually be deported back to Cambodia.

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In similar news, on 12 August, the Border Protection Command in Chanthaburi and Trat intercepted 46 Cambodian nationals who had illegally crossed into Thailand in search of work. The migrants claimed they were motivated by unfulfilled promises from the Cambodian government regarding job opportunities back home.

Rear Admiral Parat Rattanachaiyaphan, Deputy Spokesperson for the Royal Thai Navy, stated that the operation took place at 8pm in collaboration with the 2nd Marine Ranger Company and Immigration Police at the Ban Laem permanent border checkpoint. Alongside the migrants, police also detained one Thai human smuggler.