KAMRIENG: Hundreds of thousands of Cambodian migrant workers have been heading home from Thailand as the two countries work to keep a ceasefire in armed clashes along their border.
Tensions between the countries have escalated due to disputes over pockets of land along their 800-kilometer (500-mile) border. A five-day clash in July left at least 43 people dead and displaced more than 260,000 in both Southeast Asian nations.
A fragile ceasefire brokered by Malaysia, with backing from the US and China, appears to be holding while officials try to resolve issues underlying the conflict. The retreat has left many of the workers streaming back to Cambodia wondering how to get by after they left jobs that enabled them to send money back to their families.
Kri Phart, a 56-year-old poultry worker, said he began packing after reading a post by Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet on Facebook urging migrants to return to Cambodia.
“I have no idea if the fighting will really stop and with fewer and fewer Cambodians in Thailand, I got nervous,” said Kri Phart, seated on a stoop with two big bags of belongings and a big electric fan. “I didn’t want to be the last Cambodian migrant in Thailand.”
