9 Thais arrested for illegal border crossing from Cambodia
Group paid guide to flee illicit job and return home through fields
Nine Thai nationals were arrested in Sa Kaeo after illegally crossing the border on foot from Cambodia, where they had worked in an online scam operation.
The group, five men and four women, were intercepted by the Burapha Forces and Aranyaprathet Special Task Force during a surveillance operation in Sa Kaeo province. Officers caught them trekking through a sugarcane field in Ban Phan Suek, Aranyaprathet district, a known natural passageway used by smugglers and illegal migrants.
The nine, aged between their 20s and 40s, came from various provinces including Bangkok, Sakon Nakhon, Phitsanulok, and Ang Thong. They told officers they had recently been working as administrators for an online gambling operation in Poipet, Cambodia.
According to the group, they became disillusioned with their roles and fled the job following a troubling incident within the scam network. Unlike others who were let go after having their accounts frozen, they chose to escape, paying a Cambodian guide 6,000 baht each to sneak them across the border.
“We just wanted to go home.”
Despite their apparent regret, none of the nine had passports or legal documentation. They were taken into custody and handed over to investigators at Klong Nam Sai Police Station, where they now face charges related to illegal border entry.
Military officials said the arrests came as part of ongoing efforts to crack down on transnational crimes, including human trafficking, illegal labour, and scam networks operating across the Thai-Cambodian border.
Officers said that a growing trend of Thai nationals lured into working in online scam call centres and gambling operations based in Cambodia. While some are trafficked, others willingly take the jobs, only to later regret their decision and attempt dangerous crossings back into Thailand, reported KhaoSod.
Police have launched further investigations to determine if any members of the group were involved in broader criminal operations, or victims of labour exploitation.
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