A Thai man, having spent a year in Cambodia, attempted to poison himself at the Poipet immigration checkpoint due to an inability to pay the border crossing fine.
The incident occurred on July 11, when 40 year old Thanawat from Pathum Thani drank bathroom cleaner at the Poipet immigration office. The Cambodian official immediately coordinated his return to Thailand for urgent medical treatment at Aranyaprathet Hospital.
Rescue workers from the Aranyaprathet Foundation, located in Sa Kaeo province, were notified by the Thai-Cambodian border coordination team.
They were tasked with retrieving Thanawat from the Thai-Cambodian Friendship Bridge near the permanent border crossing at Ban Khlong Luek. This handover took place in the evening, allowing for his immediate transfer to Aranyaprathet Hospital for stomach pumping.
Officials reported that Thanawat possessed all necessary travel documents but had been residing in Cambodia for an extended period. On the morning of July 11, he attempted to return to Thailand, necessitating a 10,000 baht (US$310) fine at the Poipet immigration checkpoint, reported KhaoSod.
Lacking the funds to pay, he resorted to consuming bathroom cleaner in a desperate act, which resulted in his urgent repatriation to Thailand. Thanawat is currently receiving medical care at Aranyaprathet Hospital.
In similar news, Thai police arrested five people for attempting to illegally cross the Thai-Cambodian border early on June 25. The operation, conducted at 7am by the Burapha Force in coordination with the Aranyaprathet Task Force and the 12th Ranger Mobile Unit, led to the capture of one man and four women in a sedan at a scheduled pick-up point in Khlong Nam Sai subdistrict, Aranyaprathet district, Sa Kaeo province.
The group reportedly entered Thailand via an informal border crossing from Cambodia. According to the women, they each paid 4,000 baht (about US$120) to a local guide for assistance in returning to Thailand but were left stranded at the border. They later contacted a male acquaintance to retrieve them, which ultimately led to their arrest.
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