Cambodians dump good jobs in Thailand and take their fridges back home

A GROUP of around 50 Cambodian workers who had dumped their jobs to return to their homeland amid war fears arrived at Chong Sangam checkpoint in Sisaket province with a whole lot of belongings including refrigerators, Amarin TV said this evening (June 17).

This checkpoint is currently open from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. on the Thai side and 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on the Cambodian side.

This group of Cambodian workers arrived together in six vehicles with lots of belongings including fans, refrigerators, bags, clothes and many other items and it appeared to be a mass exodus never to return again.

This TV station’s reporters talked to some of these young Cambodian workers, with many of them having been in Sisaket for over a decade while others for around six years, who said they had been earning from 420 to 450 baht a day wage in addition to overtime but they are now returning to their country where they would be jobless with no work or fixed income because their parents asked them to come back.

This is because of insecurity along the border with the Cambodian government having warned there may be war and it may not be safe for them to continue working at Sisaket.

Mr.Chai Ratliang, one of the returnees who has been working in Sisaket for over than a decade, said he got a phone call from his parents to return home because the situation is not calm and Cambodian leaders announced that they should contact their children working in Thailand to come back because there may be war to seize the three disputed temples and Mombei area along the border.

This led to Cambodians working in Sisaket pooling money and renting vehicles to bring them to this checkpoint.

Chai added that if the situation calms down, they may return to their old jobs if their employers still wanted Cambodian workers, or else they would have to look for a job in Cambodia even though it is difficult to find one or perhaps go work in another country.

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Cambodian workers returning home with their fridges and other belongings. Photos: Amarin TV