Five Thai men were apprehended attempting to illegally cross the border back into Thailand from Poipet yesterday, July 7.
The Burapha Task Force, along with the Aranyaprathet Special Unit and the 1201 Ranger Company, intercepted the group. Initial inquiries revealed they were gamblers who had pawned their passports in an attempt to continue betting but eventually found themselves penniless.
Four of the men explained that they had travelled to Poipet several months ago to gamble, despite not knowing each other beforehand. They became acquainted at the casino and, after losing all their money, decided to pawn their passports to fund further gambling.
However, they continued to lose, leaving them without documents or funds to return to Thailand through official channels. While seeking a way to illegally re-enter Thailand, they encountered 33 year old Yongyut, an assistant chef at a Poipet restaurant.
He also needed to return to Thailand due to an expired visa and an inability to pay the associated fines. The five then chose to cross the border on foot together before being apprehended by the rangers.
The soldiers initially handed the group over to the Khlong Luek Police Station in Sa Kaeo province, where they will face charges for illegally crossing the border, reported KhaoSod.
In similar news, two Thai women were caught by security forces in Sa Kaeo province while trying to illegally re-enter Thailand from Cambodia. They were apprehended on June 21 after climbing over a barbed-wire fence at the border, following significant gambling losses that left them without passports.
On June 22, the Burapha Task Force, together with the Aranyaprathet Special Task Force and the 12th Ranger Regiment, stepped up border patrols near the permanent checkpoint at Ban Khlong Luek in Pa Rai subdistrict, Aranyaprathet district, Sa Kaeo province.
During a late-night operation on June 21, officers observed the two women scaling the concertina wire from Cambodia into Thailand, resulting in their immediate arrest and the start of an investigation.
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