Cambodian migrant workers return home to find few opportunities

Chhuoen said he had to pay a broker a large amount of money to cross the border back into Cambodia. “I paid 2,000 baht to get a taxi back to the border of Cambodia from Chanthaburi province,” he said. “The taxi followed a small road into the forest to avoid a check point.”

“It normally cost me 200 baht,” he said. “And now the difference is so big and I may not earn anything for a very long time too as it might be a while before I can return to work in Thailand.”

Chhouen, who normally earns between 400 and 500 baht per day, was quarantined at a primary school in Battambang’s Kamrieng district. He stayed in a classroom with 11 other migrants who crossed the border at the same location. He was given a sleeping mat, a mosquito net and a blanket.

“I was a little bit concerned when I had to share the room with so many people. If one of us had COVID-19 the others would have easily been infected because we all slept on the floor next to each other,” he said.

Cambodia’s Prime Minister Hun Sen said on Feb. 15 that the government will put more restrictions at border crossings with Thailand, Vietnam and Laos. He also said that anyone who tries to escape from quarantine will be punished with an up to US$ 250 fine. However, on Feb. 18, that amount was raised to $1,250.

Action will also be taken against any broker who helps undocumented workers cross the borders, stated the prime minister who also said the head of immigration police in Battambang was to be removed from his position after he freed an illegal broker.

Cambodians who do follow the quarantine schedule at the border are promised to receive a US$ 5 allowance per day.

“But I got nothing during the 16 days that I was quarantined,” Chhouen said. “Some of us wanted to ask the police about that allowance, but I didn’t want to wait for it. I wanted to go see my 65-year-old mother who was waiting for me home alone.”

^{Background photo: A Cambodian village in Siem Reap province on Oct. 15, 2020. (Photo by Tang Chhin Sothy/AFP)}

Near the border many migrant workers told LiCAS.news that they not only fear COVID-19, but also being jobless. There are no jobs for them in Thailand or Cambodia, and many of them are in financial trouble.

Nhem Vichea, 28, said he returned to Cambodia in early January after his salary was cut by half. Now his financial problems are growing, and he’s expected to pay for the education of his three younger siblings.

“I have paid for their school fees and I support my parents. I also borrowed a lot of money to buy an apartment in my home town. Every month I need to pay nearly $350,” he said.

Paying that loan is a massive challenge for Vichea. “There’s no way that I can find a job here that earns me US$ 400 per month. And after they cut my salary in half, I ran out of savings. I really don’t know what to do next.”

So far, the Cambodian government hasn’t announced any policy supporting returning migrant workers.

Dy Thehoya, program coordinator of Center for Alliance of Labor and Human Rights (CENTRAL), said the government should prioritize support for migrant workers who come back from Thailand.

“Those workers need more social protection and service, to provide them the basic needs now [they] don’t have any job to do. Rather than provide them vocational and training skills,” Dy Thehoya said.

Published February 22, 2021

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