Almost 100 migrants sent back daily from Thailand

Thai authorities are sending more than 100 migrant workers back to Cambodia on a daily basis. These people are either homeless, drug dependent, jobless, or working illegally in Thailand and will be housed in welfare facilities near the border. Ministry of Social Affairs, Veterans and Youth Rehabilitation spokesman Touch Channy said yesterday the jobless, homeless and drug addicts were rounded up in sweeps by the Thai authorities while the illegal workers were caught in crackdowns.

“At the beginning of this year the number of Cambodians sent back was about 40 a day but the number has reached 100 daily now,” he said. The migrants are escorted across border checkpoints by Thai officials and handed to Cambodian authorities. According to Channy, the migrants would be taken to social welfare centres where officials will assess their health and inquire about their background and the circumstances behind their return.

He said some of the migrants return with only the clothes they were wearing. “Many of them will arrive back empty-handed and destitute. They will have no money. “It is little wonder why the drug addicts are sent back,” he added. He said migrants who test positive for drugs will be sent to rehabilitation facilities, and if they recover from their addiction, they will return to the community.

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