Ko Samet Island tourism, business operators affected by exodus of Cambodian workers



RAYONG, June 18 -- The exodus of Cambodian workers has deeply affected business on Ko Samet Island, a renowned tourist destination in Thailand’s eastern resort province of Rayong, according to the provincial chamber of commerce.

Anuchida Chinsiraprapha, chair of the Rayong Chamber of Commerce, said that despite attempts of Thai authorities to allay concerns of foreign workers, most of them remained worried and their departures obviously impacted small- and medium-sized enterprises.

She said that all 500 Cambodian workers on Ko Samet had already left local shops, restaurants and hotels and consequently there was little labour remaining on duty in the service sector on the tourist island.

Ms Anuchida also said that the labour shortage was also severe in the agricultural sector as there was no labour to harvest fruit-- mangosteen and rambutan in orchards, pineapple fields and to tap latex in rubber plantations.

She warned that the problem would expand to fisheries and the para wood (natural rubber tree) industries.

However, some Cambodian workers are returning to Pong Nam Ron and Soi Dao districts in adjacent Chanthaburi as they need wages to support their families.

Some Cambodians told their Thai employers that they would be back after preparing their documents to seek legal immigration into Thailand.

The Thai-Cambodian Border Trade & Tourism Association of Chanthaburi predicts that more Cambodian workers will return to Thailand wihin a few weeks because wages in Thailand are at least three times higher than those in Cambodia. (MCOT online news)


-- TNA 2014-06-18

Some Cambodians told their Thai employers that they would be back after preparing their documents to seek legal immigration into Thailand.

That's a good start, same law should apply for everybody wishing to work in Thailand ...

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Some Cambodians told their Thai employers that they would be back after preparing their documents to seek legal immigration into Thailand.

That's a good start, same law should apply for everybody wishing to work in Thailand ...

There's also the point - why didn't their employers spend a bit of time and effort in the past to get the documentation right?

When we were in Koh Chang, many staff at the restaurants and hotels are from Cambodia. They work incredibly long hours for very little pay.

A simple question.

Why besides the financial issue are they not hiring Thais for this.

i have to tellyu though that the workers on Koh Samet do work hard.

Yeah, hire lazy Thais , nothing gets done and the cost sky high.. Cambodians pls come back!

The Filippinos work just as hard as the Cambodians so why not make it easier for them to come here to do those jobs that the Thais will not do.

The Filippinos work just as hard as the Cambodians so why not make it easier for them to come here to do those jobs that the Thais will not do.

The Filipinos generally speak english as well.

hello general ... many russians & nigerians & others to fill in the spaces

just need to give them a work permit

The Filippinos work just as hard as the Cambodians so why not make it easier for them to come here to do those jobs that the Thais will not do.

The Filipinos generally speak english as well.

More polite than the Thais also.

this is a nonsense story because it's absolutely dead in Ban Phe at the moment, there's hardly any tourists going to Koh Samet. as for the fruit picking and construction industry that's a different matter.