Whether they have the virus or not, Cambodian workers in Thailand say they’re struggling as Covid-19 surges at construction sites and other workplaces packed with migrant laborers.
Some Cambodian workers are caught in a wave of Covid-19 at their workplaces in Thailand and under pressure to maintain their livelihoods, while many others have fled back to Cambodia to escape the disease and the risk of difficulties in getting treatment or poor deals from employers.
Health authorities have announced a rise in imported Covid-19 cases as Cambodian police say they are increasingly concerned about illegal crossings to and from Thailand amid pressures on people’s livelihoods.
The government raised fines for people escaping quarantine from 1 million to 5 million riel, and for private health facilities failing to notify authorities about evaders from 10 million to 50 million riel, or about $250 to $1,250 and $2,500 to $12,500, respectively.
A man returning from Thailand and about to be taken into Covid-19 quarantine slipped and hit his head while peeing, had two beers, then died in hospital on Monday, the second quarantine- and head trauma-related death announced by authorities over the past year.
Two Korean language training school directors stood trial on Tuesday over charges of fraud — involving dozens of workers who each lost thousands of dollars — by falsely promising to send them to work in South Korea. Some were never sent, while others were sent to Dubai instead, the court heard.
A Thai chicken factory has agreed to demands related to overtime and allowing migrant workers to leave its compound to buy food following last week’s protest by hundreds of Cambodian laborers, the factory’s management and a labor group said.
About 500 Cambodian migrant workers at a food production factory in Thailand’s Chon Buri province protested on Wednesday, saying that they cannot continue under the economic pressure levied by the company for the past three months.
Workers say debt and a lack of jobs in Cambodia are pushing them to consider crossing the closed border amid labor shortages in Thailand, despite the pandemic. Programs to get Cambodian workers back in Thailand are in the works, but concerns remain over conditions and safety.
Thailand plans to allow a group of 500 Cambodian workers to return to work legally in Thailand for the first time since borders were closed due to the Covid-19 pandemic, officials said on Tuesday.
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