SA KAEO – Authorities in Sa Kaeo have apprehended a group of Cambodian workers who reentered Thailand illegally after having returned home to celebrate the Songkran Festival.
Twenty-five Cambodian nationals have reportedly been taken into custody in the eastern province of Sa Kaeo after trespassing into Thailand without official permission. Following an interrogation, authorities revealed that the group had indeed been working legally in Thailand before their return to Cambodia for the Songkran holiday. All were found with the temporary work permit, or the pink card, and the certification document from the Provincial Office of Employment.
However, they were apprehended for crossing the border through an illegal channel. One of the suspects said he departed Thailand through the Ban Laem border checkpoint in Chanthaburi province but was denied reentry by immigration officials at the Ban Khlong Luek border checkpoint in Sa Kaeo. He then decided to pay an illegal network 800 baht for help in sneaking into Thailand through the forest.
According to reports, a number of Cambodians have been unable to return to Thailand as the law only permits foreign workers to reenter at the point of departure.
