Cambodians busted fleeing Covid-19
published : 7 Sep 2020 at 04:30
Sa Kaeo: Thirteen Cambodian migrants were arrested yesterday while attempting to cross back into Cambodia without passing through immigration checks.

The migrants, which travelled in three separate groups, said they decided to leave Thailand over concerns about the coronavirus, after learning about the discovery of a new local Covid-19 infection at a Bangkok prison.

The arrests were carried out by a joint team consisting of rangers from the 1201th Ranger Company, Klong Luek police officers and Sa Kaeo immigration officials.

The team normally intercepts migrants attempting to illegally enter Thailand illegally through natural border channels near Rong Kluea border market in Aranyaprathet district. Instead, the team found three separate groups heading the other way.

The officials came across the first group of three migrants as they attempted to slip through a barbed wire fence set up along the border, just behind the market. Four people were arrested later in the same area.

Meanwhile, six Cambodians were arrested after they were spotted by officers walking through the forest near the market. The group told officials that they decided to leave after their relatives urged them to leave Thailand, after hearing news reports about a fresh Covid-19 find in Bangkok.
https://www.bangkokpost.com/thailand/general/1980783/

so on the 7th they caught some fleeing thailand back to Cambodia and now
they catch them entering thailand

I feel as safe here as anywhere...

23 Cambodians found in Thai forest after allegedly crossing the border

Nearly 2 dozen Cambodians were found in a forest near the Thai-Cambodian border. Thailand recently increased border patrol in fear that those sneaking in could be unknowingly be carrying the coronavirus. Numerous migrants have been arrested in the recent weeks for illegally entering Thailand through natural passageways, like rivers and forests, especially along the country’s western border with Myanmar.

Thai Residents calls it a “battle” against Cambodian and Burmese migrants who are trying to enter Thailand illegally, saying “their actions pose a serious threat against people living in Thailand.”

Yesterday, 23 Cambodian nationals allegedly entered Thailand’s eastern Sa Kaeo province and hid in a forest at the border until 2 trucks picked them up, police say. They were then dropped off at a eucalyptus forest in the Chachoengsao province as they waited for another truck.

https://thethaiger.com/hot-news/crime/2 ... the-border

22 December, 2020

Cambodia News, (Phnom Penh): According to reports from the Cambodian Department of Immigration, over the past two days, nearly 400 workers have returned from Thailand and are being interrogated and tested for Covid-19 by Cambodian authorities. The migrant workers are leaving Thailand after an outbreak of Covid-19 transmissions in Thailand's Samut Sakhon province last weekend.

Keo Vanthan, spokesman for the General Department of Immigration, confirmed that 386 Cambodian workers had returned from Thailand on December 20 and 21, most of them through O'Smach border gate in Oddar Meanchey province. According to Vanthan, 286 workers returned through O'Smach, 74 through Poipet, and 26 crossed at Doung and Phnom Dey.

Mr. Vanthan said that following the explosion of coronavirus cases in Thailand, he has instructed police officers at all international border checkpoints, but especially along the Cambodian-Thai border, to thoroughly check the health of all travelers entering Cambodia.

December 24, 2020
Over 1,000 come through three international border checkpoints

More than 1,000 migrant workers came through three international border checkpoints for the past two days with all of them being quarantined at the border centres.

Khloak Huot, director of Oddar Meanchey Provincial Health Department, said for the past two days, a total of 396 Cambodian workers went through O’Smach international checkpoint and have gone into quarantine at the centres.

He said that there were too many of them to accomodate at the centres in the province.

“We are requesting all workers who come through the O’smach border checkpoint to have them quarantined in their respective province, because our centres in the district are full,” he said.

“We have never had too many people quarantined like this. That’s why we do not have enough quarantine centres and health officials,” he said, adding that if 60 or 100 workers come a day, then the centres could still not accommodate them.

Huot said that six quarantine centres were set up in the province.

Khin Nhean, acting provincial governor of Oddar Meanchey province, said if all quarantine centres are full, no more workers will be accepted.

“We have to transport them to their respective province,” he said.

Voeun Bunreth, director of Battambang Provincial Health Department, said that for the past two days, Health Ministry officials took 100 samples from the workers to be tested.

Bunreth also said that another quarantine centre in the province has received workers sent from Oddar Meanchey province.

“We see that in the past the workers had their health checked and were sent to their home, but they must go into quarantine for 14 days,” he said.

Ly Sary, deputy governor of Banteay Meanchey province, said that for the past two days more than 500 samples were sent to the Pasteur Institute and the results were negative for COVID-19.
https://www.khmertimeskh.com/50796695/o ... eckpoints/

January 6, 2021
Rong Kloeur market traders asked to keep calm and stay put
Cambodian citizens who have been trading goods at the Rong Kloeur market in Thailand have been asked to stay calm and shelter in place after two Thai workers who visited the market were found to be positive for COVID-19.

Banteay Meanchey provincial authorities yesterday asked Cambodian vendors and traders at the market not to move to other areas or cause any disturbances, but rather strictly follow the instructions of the Ministry of Health.

The two Thai workers went shopping on December 26 and tested positive for COVID-19 on December 29, sparking fears throughout the community and causing Cambodians to rush to the border trying to get home before the quarantine, which began on January 3.

Ngor Mengchruon, deputy governor of Banteay Meanchey province, said: “[After the two Thais] had close contact with Cambodian vendors, some Cambodian traders have become very worried and want to return to Cambodia,” Mengchruon said.

He confirmed that after the positive results of the two Thais, the Cambodian traders identified as having been in direct or indirect contact began a 14-day quarantine on January 3 in a centre in Thailand.

Dy Rado, deputy governor of Oddar Meanchey province, said that Cambodian workers who are traders or those who are working in Thailand should not return to Cambodia if there is no necessity.
“Do not try to move from one place to another to avoid infecting your own community and families with the disease,” he said.
https://www.khmertimeskh.com/50800767/r ... -stay-put/

So, the outcome is that the Thai's are rampant with the virus, but the mass of Cambodians who flee back over the border test negative, but they don't have room to accommodate Cambodian workers returning if over 60 per day. Also it's a funny story when Thai authorities test the Cambodian migrant workers positive. Would be better to keep away from Thailand, even shopper's carry the virus.
Didn't the authorities say that they had available accommodation and medical staff at hand whatever the situation.

Financial hardship faces Cambodian workers who return home from Thailand
By Barry Kenyon
January 9, 2021

Phnom Penh authorities reckon that 120,000 Cambodian manual workers in Thailand have returned to their home country since the Covid-19 outbreak. Their reasons for doing so are varied but include fear of catching coronavirus, unemployment in some sectors in Thailand and confusion about their legal status. Nobody knows the total number of Cambodian nationals in Thailand, because of the presence of illegals who bypassed border checkpoints, but is currently around 500,000.

The Cambodian Ministry of Planning urges all returning nationals to apply for IDPoorCards, a registration process with a heavy discretionary element. Thus, if government inspectors think a family is living in superior accommodation (not defined) or if a returning individual brought back cash from employment in Thailand, then help from official coffers will not be forthcoming. There is no base line for poverty in Cambodia although the garment-manufacturing sector operates a loose minimum wage policy.

Although Thailand’s land borders are closed for most purposes, the principal ones are open to admit limited numbers of Cambodian workers returning to Thailand, subject to 14 days quarantine on the Thai side, and to allow returning Cambodians into their home country. One problem for returning Cambodians is that wages are much lower at home than in Thailand. Phorn Chanta, a 51 year old farmer, said he was working as a gardener for a real estate company near Bangkok for around US$400 a month before he was terminated because of the recession. Back in Phnom Penh, he ekes out a living as a labourer in seafood markets for one tenth of that amount.
https://www.pattayamail.com/news/financ ... and-339840

30 seconds ago - BREAKING NEWS
Over 12,000 migrant workers return home from Thailand
More than 12,000 migrant workers have streamed across the Thai border into Cambodia in the past two weeks amid COVID-19 pandemic, according to a health official.

Or Vandine, spokeswoman of the Health Ministry, said that 12,088 Cambodian returned to Cambodia from Thailand from December 20 to January 7 as COVID-19 cases surged in Thailand.
https://www.khmertimeskh.com/50802167/o ... -thailand/

Who's going to do the work for the lazy Thais