estimated 1,000 Thai nationals in online clutches in Cambodia

It is estimated that there are at least 1,000 more Thais who remain in Cambodia as alleged forced workers and were in need of help.

This was revealed by Assistant national police chief Surachate Hakparn kast Thursday after overseeing the rescue of some 500 Thai nationals from several parts of Cambodia, who had been duped into working for supposedly lucratively jobs advertised on social media, especially FaceBook.

The Thai nationals rescued were mostly allegedly forced to work near the border with Trat province and others in Cambodia’s Pursat, Koh Kong, Sihanoukville and Poipet townships.

A group of Thais rescued in Phnom Penh. National Police

It is estimated that there are at least 1,000 more Thais who remain in Cambodia as alleged forced workers and were in need of help.

While some Thai nationals were said to be working there on their own free will as their income was decent, based on investigations gathered over several months by Khmer Times, and as they managed to hit their targets, many others soon found out that the supposed lucrative income was similar to bonded labour and harsh working conditions.

To date, since January to December 2021, almost 1,500 Thai nationals have been rescued in joint operations carried out by the Thai and Cambodian police as well as the Thai Embassy in Phnom Penh.

The Thai nationals were allegedly and in some cases, knowingly deceived by text messages and Facebook posts that invited them to apply for jobs with a monthly salary of 20,000 to 30,000 baht in Cambodia.

Agencies