Bangladeshis Held Crossing Thai Border From Cambodia

Six Bangladeshi men were arrested after illegally crossing from Cambodia into Thailand in Sa Kaeo province, claiming they had fled unpaid work in Phnom Penh and were trying to reach the Bangladesh embassy for help.

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The arrests took place at about 6am on May 25, 2026, during a joint border patrol operation by the Aranyaprathet Task Force, Burapha Force troops, Border Patrol Company 1202 and Sa Kaeo Immigration Police. Officers were monitoring natural border crossing points between Ban Phu Nam Kliang in Pa Rai subdistrict, Aranyaprathet district and the Cambodian border when they spotted the group walking into Thailand.

Authorities found all six men carrying Bangladeshi passports but none had Thai entry stamps. The men were taken to Border Ranger Company 1202 in Pa Rai for questioning, with a Bangladeshi interpreter assisting immigration officers.

According to the group, they had been recruited by a Bangladeshi broker who promised them high-paying jobs in Cambodia. The men said they flew from Bangladesh to Sihanoukville International Airport before being transported by van to Phnom Penh in early January 2026.

They told officers they were employed as general labourers on a promised wage of US$16 per day, or about 520 baht. However, they claimed they worked for around five months without receiving any payment.

The men said they eventually decided to escape together after becoming unable to tolerate the situation any longer. Using GPS maps for navigation, they walked for more than two days from Phnom Penh towards the Thai border at Poipet.

After reaching the border area, they reportedly asked Cambodian locals how to cross into Thailand illegally. The group then crawled under barbed-wire fencing from the Poipet side into Thailand, intending to travel to the Bangladesh embassy to seek assistance returning home.

Thai soldiers arrested the men while they were crossing the border on foot. Authorities later transferred all six to investigators at Khlong Luek Police Station in Sa Kaeo for further questioning and legal proceedings.

Officials said the case forms part of ongoing efforts to prevent illegal border crossings and transnational labour-related offences along the Thai-Cambodian frontier.

Pictures courtesy of Daily News

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Adapted by ASEAN Now Naewna 26 May 2026