CHANTHABURI — Thai authorities detained 67 Cambodian nationals who were attempting to enter Thailand illegally to seek work, the Royal Thai Navy said Saturday.
Rear Adm. Parat Rattanachaiphan, a Navy spokesperson, said the arrests were made around 5 a.m. in Pong Nam Ron district in Chanthaburi province, near the Thai-Cambodian border. The operation was carried out by a Marine task force in coordination with police and immigration officers.
The group consisted of 35 men, 25 women and seven children who were walking across the border into Thailand without authorization, he said.
Parat said the operation followed legal procedures and complied with Thailand’s law on preventing torture and enforced disappearance, with particular attention given to the welfare of women and children. Authorities provided basic humanitarian assistance, including food, water and first aid, before transferring the migrants to investigators at Ban Plaeng police station for legal processing and eventual repatriation.
The Navy said preliminary questioning indicated the migrants were Cambodians facing economic hardship, unemployment and lack of income in their home country, prompting them to risk illegal entry into Thailand in search of work to support their families.
The Navy said illegal migration poses risks to national security and public safety and can expose migrants to exploitation by transnational criminal networks. Authorities said enforcement would continue alongside a humanitarian approach that respects human rights.
The Navy said it will maintain strict border controls to safeguard national security while supporting long-term solutions through appropriate international cooperation.
