SA KAEO – 5 July 2026, Thai soldiers arrested 11 people, including foreign nationals and one Thai, after they allegedly crossed illegally into Thailand through a natural border crossing from Cambodia. The group claimed they fled jobs linked to online businesses after not receiving the wages they had been promised.
Troops from Burapha Task Force, together with Khok Sung Task Force and other security agencies, were conducting a border patrol when they spotted a group of suspects walking across a natural crossing near boundary markers 41-42 in Ban Ang Sila, Non Mak Mun subdistrict, Khok Sung district, Sa Kaeo province.
Authorities detained all 11 suspects. They were identified as seven Bangladeshi nationals, one Chinese national, two Vietnamese nationals and one Thai national. None of them were carrying a passport or other identification documents.
During initial questioning, the suspects told investigators they had worked for about three months at a restaurant and an online sales business in Poipet, Cambodia. They said they had been persuaded by a Chinese acquaintance known as “Mr. Sunwia,” who promised them a daily wage of US$200.
However, they claimed they never received the agreed payment. They also said Cambodian authorities had recently intensified crackdowns on foreign nationals, prompting them to flee their accommodation.
The suspects told officers they each paid 8,000 baht to a human smuggling network to arrange their return to Thailand. They said they were driven from Poipet to the border before three Cambodian guides led them on foot through a natural crossing.
Border patrol officers intercepted the group, while the guides escaped before authorities secured the area.
Following the arrests, all 11 suspects were handed over to investigators at Khok Sung Police Station for legal proceedings. Authorities are expanding the investigation to identify and prosecute members of the smuggling network and others involved.
