Thai driver caught smuggling Cambodians near border for 1,500 baht

Border patrol steps up crackdown on human trafficking routes

Bright Choomanee2 hours agoLast Updated: Tuesday, August 12, 2025

166 1 minute read

Thai driver caught smuggling Cambodians near border for 1,500 baht | Thaiger — Picture courtesy of Police

A driver from Thailand was apprehended in Sa Kaeo province near the Cambodian border for transporting Cambodian migrants illegally, the highway police reported.

A 49 year old man, Sathit Chanthasri, was intercepted on Highway 33 near Sakaeo Technological College in Mueang district on August 10, according to Police Major General Kongkrit Lertsitthikul, commander of the highway police.

Inside his black Mitsubishi pickup truck, police discovered nine Cambodians, seven men and two women, who lacked travel and immigration documents. Yesterday, August 11, Pol. Maj. Gen. Kongkrit confirmed this information.

The driver claimed he was paid 1,500 baht (US$46) to collect the Cambodians from Kanchanaburi province, which borders Myanmar, and transport them to the Ban Laem border crossing in Chanthaburi province, near Cambodia.

Contradicting the driver’s account, the Cambodians stated through an interpreter that they had entered Sa Kaeo from Cambodia and were en route to find construction work in Samut Prakan province, adjacent to Bangkok.

Both the driver and the migrants were taken to the Muang Sa Kaeo provincial police station for legal proceedings, reported Bangkok Post.

In similar news, Cambodian workers in Chon Buri are leaving Thailand amid warnings from their homeland that they could lose their property and citizenship if they fail to return, according to both Thai employers and the workers.

Chitipat Janthong, a 55 year old contractor overseeing the construction of a 30 million baht (US$927,930) home in tambon Pong, Bang Lamung district, said many of his Cambodian employees have gone back despite his efforts to keep them.

He voiced concern that the ongoing Thai-Cambodian border tensions are severely affecting his business, which depends heavily on Cambodian labourers known for their good conduct and construction expertise.

In the wake of recent clashes, Cambodian families have been pressuring their relatives in Thailand to come home, warning that failure to do so could lead to the confiscation of property and passports.