Yesterday, July 12, Thai military personnel discovered two people, a man and a woman, entering Thailand from Cambodia through an illicit route. They were found without passports and had reportedly been working in Poipet, Cambodia, under false pretenses.
The pair, who were suspected of illegal entry, were intercepted by soldiers from the Burapha Force and the 1201st Ranger Company along the Cambodia-Thailand border. They confessed to sneaking back into Thailand to return home after a distressing ordeal in Poipet.
The people recounted that they were lured by an acquaintance with the promise of tattoo artist jobs in Poipet, Banteay Meanchey province. The offer was made due to a supposed demand from Chinese residents in Cambodia seeking skilled tattoo artists with lucrative pay.
Upon arrival in Cambodia, they were taken to an eight-storey building, where their phones and personal documents were confiscated.
They were forced to scan their faces with a banking app, which they refused, leading to physical assaults. Realising they had been deceived into working for a call centre syndicate, they were coerced into performing manual labour within the building. During this time, they secretly used the syndicate’s computer to email a close senior for help, reported KhaoSod.
After their escape and return to Thailand, they were taken for questioning and had their statements recorded. Subsequently, they were handed over to Khlong Luek Police Station for legal proceedings.
In similar news, two Thai women were caught attempting to illegally cross back into Thailand through barbed wire at Ban Khlong Luek in Aranyaprathet district, Sa Kaeo province, on July 6.
Initially claiming they had been tricked into working in Poipet, Cambodia, authorities later uncovered that the pair had been recruited to open mule bank accounts and undergo facial scans for a call centre scam. The Eastern Border Security Forces, led by Task Force Aranyaprathet, made the arrest.
The story Thai soldiers intercept illegal entrants from Cambodia as seen on Thaiger News.
