Thais admit they were attracted by high wages in Poipet and were not being held against their will
PUBLISHED : 1 Mar 2025 at 20:56
UPDATED : 1 Mar 2025 at 21:18
A total of 119 Thais were among 230 foreigners reported freed from a scam call centre in Poipet, Cambodia, as authorities continue their crackdown on cybercrimes.
Cambodia’s immigration department said on Saturday that it had deported the 119 Thais — 61 men and 58 women — who had “snuck in to work and stayed illegally” in the kingdom.
The Thais were deported via the Poipet border checkpoint on Saturday. Thai police were waiting in the border town of Aranyaprathet to receive them and interview them about their experiences.
The Cambodian National Police General Directorate announced the arrests in a statement after conducting raids on Feb 22 and 23 at two locations in Poipet city in Banteay Meanchey province, according to a Khmer Times article published on Saturday.
Of the 230 individuals found, 123 claimed they were Thai nationals, but only 119 were confirmed to be from Thailand. The others included citizens of Myanmar and Laos.
The Thais admitted to entering Cambodia illegally to engage in online crimes, attracted by high wages, the statement said. They said they were not deceived into joining the organisation and were not being held against their will.
None of those arrested have sought assistance from the Thai or Cambodian governments, the statement added.
The raid followed a three-month investigation into Chinese-operated call centres in Cambodia.
Saturday’s handover comes a day after Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra visited Sa Kaeo province across the border from Poipet, and reiterated her determination to “eliminate call centre gangs”.
Deputy Prime Minister Phumtham Wechayachai confirmed in a post on X that the 119 Thais had been returned from Cambodia.
The repatriations come as Thailand, Myanmar and Cambodia have ramped up efforts to curb a cyberscam industry worth billions of dollars a year, with the UN estimating as many as 120,000 people may be working in Myanmar scam centres.
Cambodian police detain 230 foreigners on Feb 22 and 23, 2025, during a raid on a scam call centre in Poipet city, Banteay Meanchey province. (Photo: Cambodia Police Facebook)