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UOB Thailand has launched Ultimate Privileges, a refreshed suite of credit card benefits designed to align with evolving consumer lifestyles, alongside the UOB Point Parade campaign, which enhances the value of reward points in the second half of 2025.
Starting 15 August, UOB Point Parade allows UOB cardholders to redeem points for cashback of up to 20 per cent across key spending categories from dining and travel to shopping and experiences. The bank expects the campaign to increase point redemptions by at least 30 per cent in the fourth quarter.
Suporntip Pongsachamnankit, Head of Card Business, UOB Thailand, said, “As consumer lifestyles evolve, our focus is on delivering meaningful value through everyday benefits and aspirational experiences. Ultimate Privileges and UOB Point Parade reflect our commitment to data-driven insight, rewarding our customers in ways that are relevant, flexible, and distinctly UOB”
Ultimate Privileges spans four key pillars: Ultimate Dining, Ultimate Experience, Ultimate Travel and Ultimate Shopping. The UOB Point Parade campaign further incentivises redemptions through Rewards+ platform on the UOB TMRW app, offering access to Michelin dining, flights, premium brands and curated experiences.
Share of Profits from Associates Drive Strong Performance, Q3 to Benefit from Seasonal Hydrology
Mr. Thanawat Trivisvavet, Managing Director of CKPower Public Company Limited (SET: CKP), one of the region’s largest producers of electricity from renewables with one of the lowest carbon footprints, announced the operating results of the Company and its subsidiaries for Q2/2025 and the first half of 2025. CKPower reported the Core Net Profit of Baht 353.0 million in Q2 and Baht 416.3 million for the six-month period, representing increases of Baht 204.3 million or 137.4% year-over-year, and Baht 509.2 million or 548.1% year-over-year, respectively, marking continued operating performance growth from Q1/2025.
The improved results for Q2 and 1H 2025 were driven primarily by higher average water inflow to Xayaburi Hydroelectric Power Plant compared to the same period last year and lower financing costs at the Xayaburi Power Company Limited (XPCL) following global interest rate cuts. These have resulted in significantly higher share of profits from associate companies than the same period last year. Meanwhile, revenue from electricity sales at the Nam Ngum 2 Power Company Limited (NN2) decreased slightly in Q2 and 1H 2025 despite increased electricity sales volume, due to the Thai Baht appreciation affecting NN2’s tariff partially denominated in US dollar.
Mr. Thanawat stated that NN2 has cumulative water inflow in 1H 2025 of 1,315 million cubic meters, which was 45.2% higher than last year, resulted in higher electricity declaration in January to August of around 14.7%. At the same time, XPCL also experienced higher water flow YoY, which drove XPCL to operate on its full capacity since late June. In Q3, the expected seasonal rise in water inflow at both hydroelectric power plants, together with the reduced financing costs from policy interest rate cuts by the United States in late 2024 and Thailand in 1H 2025, would provide tailwind for CKPower’s performance during the 2H 2025. As for the Luang Prabang Hydroelectric Power Project (LPCL), construction progress reached 53% completion as of the end of June 2025, in line with plan.
Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra enters Parliament on August 13, 2025 for 2026 budget discussions, smiling but avoiding reporters' questions about her Constitutional Court case scheduled for August 29.
Three hours ago, a Japanese diplomat in Bangkok met with me to discuss Thai politics. One of the questions was: “Will Paetongtarn Shinawatra survive the Constitutional Court’s ruling on her audio tape conversing with Cambodian Senate President Hun Sen?”
I said her chance of survival is 35% because the judges’ votes back in on July 1st were 7 to 2 in suspending her duties as PM, and even the two minority votes thought some issues should be suspended despite thinking that she can continue her role as PM, like those concerning national security and foreign policy.
The Achilles’ heel is the sentence she said to Hun Sen: “The Second Army Region Commander is on the opposite side,” and also another sentence: “Whatever you want, just say the word.”
I also told the Japanese diplomat that if Paetongtarn was confident she’d survive, she wouldn’t have asked for a six-month deferment of the ruling – which was rejected by the court today. This reflects a lack of confidence, and her opponents can ‘smell the blood.’
Past rulings have not been favourable to top politicians as well, be it then PM Srettha Thavisin, or then PM Yingluck Shinawatra, not to mention Pita Limjaroenrat and Thanathorn Juangroongruangkit.
The ruling is now set for August 29, or two weeks from now.
High-end handbags made from Varanus salvator (water monitor) leather by luxury brands.
BANGKOK — The Thai Tanning Industry Association has endorsed the government’s approval of water monitor farming after luxury brands expressed interest in exotic leather for handbags and shoes, potentially driving exports beyond 20 billion baht ($620 million).
Suwatchai Wongcharoensin, President of the Thai Tanning Industry Association, revealed that following the Wildlife Conservation Committee’s decision to add water monitors to the breeding list, licensed operators can now breed the animals commercially.
Breeding stock must be purchased from the Department of National Parks at 500 baht ($15.5) per animal, opening commercial opportunities while helping control the water monitor population, whose current numbers in Thailand remain unknown.
Luxury Market Demand Drives Policy Support
Suwatchai Wongcharoensin
Suwatchai expressed support for the commercial breeding policy, viewing it as value creation for farmers and Thailand’s leather industry. He noted that luxury brands like Hermès have used monitor lizard leather in their Birkin bags, with prices reaching millions of baht. The distinctive leather, resembling a hybrid of crocodile and snake skin, appeals to global luxury fashion brands for handbags and shoes.
“This policy expands opportunities for exotic leather. If Thailand proceeds with water monitor leather exports and market demand exists, breeding operations won’t be difficult. Currently, the Philippines is the only country globally exporting water monitors, but strict CITES compliance is essential for customer confidence,” he said.
Industry Faces Trump Tariff Challenges
Thailand’s leather industry reached nearly 20 billion baht ($620 million) in 2024 value. However, 2025 has seen purchasing orders stagnate due to Trump tariff uncertainties, with buyers awaiting clarity on rates. The industry has acknowledged a 40% production decline due to reduced global purchasing power.
With Trump tariffs on Thailand now confirmed at 19%, orders are expected to resume, though below previous expectations.
Thai leather exports in 2024 totaled approximately 12 billion baht ($370 million), with exotic leather—including reptile skins, stingray leather, and crocodile leather—comprising 25-30% of total exports, valued at around 4 billion baht ($124 million). Major export markets include Europe, China, and Japan.
Water monitor leather commands 4,200-14,000 baht ($130-430) per square meter, while crocodile leather ranges from 4,200-139,500 baht ($130-4,320) per square meter, depending on patterns and species.
A Pattaya bar worker shows reporters the damage inside her house caused by her British ex-boyfriend on August 12, 2025.
PATTAYA — A Pattaya bar employee has come forward with security footage showing her British ex-boyfriend vandalizing her home twice, expressing fears for her safety despite filing police reports.
Soraya Chanbubpha, 31, approached local media with CCTV evidence after reporting the incidents to Nong Prue Police Station. She says her former partner has repeatedly damaged her property and worries the situation could escalate to physical violence.
The most recent incident occurred at 3:05 a.m. on August 12 when Soraya returned home from work to find her front yard ransacked and extensive damage to her belongings, including her motorcycle. Newly installed security cameras captured the destruction – crucial evidence since a previous attack on August 6 went undocumented.
The footage identifies the perpetrator as 44-year-old Mr. Walker, a British national who briefly lived with Soraya for just 10 days before she ended the relationship due to his violent behavior. Despite the breakup, he has continued to harass and vandalize her property.
“I’m pleading through the media for police to urgently track down and arrest this man before something more serious happens,” Soraya said.
Her case follows two other domestic violence incidents involving foreign nationals that occurred just one day earlier on August 11. In the first case, a 37-year-old French man suffered head injuries during a dispute with his Thai girlfriend, prompting her to call her sister and foreign brother-in-law for help.
The second incident involved a 27-year-old Korean man surnamed Kim, who has a history of domestic violence against his Thai girlfriend. He sustained deep leg wounds after kicking through a glass door while pursuing his girlfriend at a massage parlor, requiring hospitalization.
South Korea's former first lady Kim Keon Hee, wife of impeached former president Yoon Suk Yeol, arrives at a court to attend a hearing to review her arrest warrant requested by special prosecutors, in Seoul, South Korea, Tuesday, Aug. 12, 2025. (Jung Yeon-je/Pool Photo via AP)
SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — The wife of South Korea’s jailed former President Yoon Suk Yeol has been arrested as investigators seek to charge her over various suspected crimes, including bribery, stock manipulation and meddling in the selection of a candidate.
In granting a special prosecutor’s request for an arrest warrant late Tuesday, the Seoul Central District Court said Kim Keon Hee posed a risk of destroying evidence.
While Yoon’s self-inflicted downfall extended a decades-long run of South Korean presidencies ending badly, he and Kim are the first former presidential couple to be jailed simultaneously over criminal allegations.
FILE – South Korea’s first lady Kim Keon Hee and South Korea’s President Yoon Suk Yeol pose for photos with President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden on the North Portico of the White House in Washington as they arrive for a State Dinner, Wednesday, April 26, 2023. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)
Yoon’s surprising yet poorly planned power grab on Dec. 3 came amid a seemingly routine standoff with the liberals, who he described as “anti-state” forces abusing their legislative majority to block his agenda. Some political opponents have questioned whether Yoon’s actions were at least partly motivated by growing allegations against his wife, which hurt his approval ratings and gave political ammunition to his rivals.
Kim did not speak to reporters as she arrived at the Seoul court Tuesday for an hours-long hearing on the warrant request. She is being held at a detention center in southern Seoul, separate from the facility holding Yoon. She is expected to face further questioning on Thursday by investigators, who can extend her detention for up to 20 days before formally filing charges.
The investigation team led by Special Prosecutor Min Joong-ki, who was appointed in June by new liberal President Lee Jae Myung, initially questioned Kim for about seven hours on Wednesday last week before deciding to seek her arrest.
Kim spoke briefly to reporters as she appeared for last week’s questioning, issuing a vague apology for causing public concern but also hinting that she would deny the allegations against her, portraying herself as “someone insignificant.”
FILE – Impeached South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol arrives at the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials in Gwacheon, South Korea, Wednesday, Jan. 15, 2025. (Korea Pool via AP)
Investigators suspect that Kim and Yoon exerted undue influence on the conservative People Power Party to nominate a specific candidate in a 2022 legislative by-election, allegedly at the request of election broker Myung Tae-kyun. Myung faces accusations of conducting free opinion surveys for Yoon using manipulated data that possibly helped him win the party’s presidential primaries before his election as president.
Kim is separately linked to multiple corruption allegations, including claims that she received luxury gifts via a fortuneteller acting as an intermediary for a Unification Church official seeking business favors, and possible involvement in a stock price manipulation scheme tied to a local BMW dealership company.
Min’s investigation team arrested one of Kim’s close associates earlier Tuesday following his arrival from Vietnam, as they look into suspicions that he used his connection to the former first lady to secure millions of dollars in business investments for his financially struggling company.
The investigators also raided a construction company on Monday over allegations that its chairman purchased a luxury necklace reportedly worth $43,000, which they believe was the same one Kim wore while accompanying Yoon on a 2022 trip to Europe. Investigators suspect that the necklace was possibly linked to the chairman’s son-in-law’s hiring as the chief of staff of then-Prime Minister Han Duck-soo, Yoon’s No. 2, shortly before the presidential trip. Kim has reportedly denied the accusations, claiming that the necklace she wore in Europe was not an authentic piece but a borrowed fake.
While in office, Yoon dismissed calls to investigate his wife as baseless political attacks and vetoed multiple bills from the liberal-led legislature seeking independent probes into the allegations.
Shortly after winning the early presidential election in June, new President Lee Jae Myung approved legislation to launch sweeping special investigations into Yoon’s martial law debacle, the allegations against his wife, and the 2023 drowning death of a marine during a flood rescue operation, an incident the liberals claim Yoon’s government tried to cover up.
Yoon’s martial law decree lasted only hours, after a quorum of lawmakers managed to break through a blockade of heavily armed soldiers and voted to revoke the measure. He was impeached by lawmakers on Dec. 14 and was formally removed from office by the Constitutional Court in April.
Yoon, who was sent back to prison last month following a March release and faces a high-stakes trial on rebellion and other charges, has repeatedly resisted investigators’ attempts to compel him to answer questions about his wife.
Jurassic World: The Experience officially opened at Asiatique The Riverfront, Bangkok. (Photo: BMA)
BANGKOK — Thailand is capitalizing on Hollywood entertainment to drive tourism growth, with the recent launch of Jurassic World: The Experience in Bangkok and promotional efforts around the Alien: Earth series filmed in Thailand.
Thapanee Kiatphaibool, Governor of the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT), is preparing promotional campaigns to leverage the Alien: Earth series, which premiered on August 13 on Disney+ Hotstar.
She noted that Alien: Earth represents the largest foreign production investment in Thailand in over 30 years, with a budget of 2.8 billion baht ($86.5 million) and nearly two years of filming across seven provinces: Bangkok, Phang Nga, Krabi, Nakhon Pathom, Surat Thani, Prachuap Khiri Khan, and Samut Prakan. The production employed over 16,000 Thai crew members throughout filming.
Alien: Earth represents the largest foreign production investment in Thailand.
Targeting World-Class Film Destination
This promotional strategy builds on TAT’s success with Jurassic World: Rebirth, positioning Thailand as a “World-Class Film Destination.” The Jurassic World sequel was filmed in three southern provinces—Krabi, Phang Nga, and Trang—with a 400-million-baht ($12.3 million) budget, creating jobs for 2,245 Thai workers including behind-the-scenes crew, production companies, and local service providers.
TAT has been promoting the film’s shooting locations as tourist destinations, including Railay Beach (opening scene), Ban Bakan, Huai To Waterfall, Khlong Rued (clear water canal), Hat Nai Mueang Beach, Toh Luang Cave, Khao Khanab Nam, and Khao Ngon Nak in Krabi; Phang Nga Bay; and Sunset Beach and Koh Kradan in Trang.
Khlong Nam Sai (Khlong Rued) in Krabi
Jurassic World: The Experience Fully Booked
Meanwhile, Jurassic World: The Experience officially opened at Asiatique The Riverfront on August 8, developed by Asset World Corporation (AWC), Thailand’s leading integrated lifestyle real estate group, in partnership with NEON and Universal Destinations and Experiences.
Wallapa Traisoranakul, CEO and Managing Director of AWC, revealed that the attraction required an investment of over 1.4 billion baht ($43 million) across more than 10,000 square meters. Since pre-sales began, weekends and holidays have been fully booked, exceeding initial targets from both Thai and international visitors.
“We’re confident this will sustainably promote tourism in Bangkok and throughout Thailand. Although Thai tourism has slowed since Q2 this year, new attractions like this will help revitalize the sector,” she said.
Jurassic World: The Experience officially opened at Asiatique The Riverfront, Bangkok. (Photo: BMA)
TAT Provides Support for Film Industry
Thapanee, who attended the Jurassic World experience opening, emphasized TAT’s continued support for the film industry, focusing on coordination and facilitating “Ease of Filming” for international productions at local, private, and government levels to ensure smooth and efficient filming operations in Thailand.
The Department of Tourism and TAT have implemented Cash Rebate measures offering 15-30% incentives to foreign productions to attract more global film investments to Thai locations. They’ve also launched the Location Thailand project to promote filming locations as tourist destinations, inspiring travelers worldwide.
TAT has partnered with Netflix to promote Thai tourism and culture through films like “Midnight Asia: Eat, Dance, Dream” and “Hidden Gem,” while supporting the international distribution of Thai dramas. The TAT Seoul office has previously screened Thai films and series in South Korea.
The Second Army Region releases photos of explosive ordnance disposal and evidence teams collecting evidence from the landmine that injured a Thai soldier for the fourth time at Chub Ta Mok operational base near Ta Muen Thom temple on August 12, 2025.
BANGKOK — A Thai soldier lost his leg to a landmine explosion Monday morning, marking the fifth such incident since the Thailand-Cambodia ceasefire began, triggering Thailand’s strongest diplomatic response yet and military warnings of potential self-defense action.
Thailand’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued its harshest condemnation to date, calling Cambodia’s alleged mine use “insincere conduct” and “an outright breach of international law.” The ministry announced it is lodging formal protests with Cambodia, the Ottawa Convention President, and the UN Secretary-General.
“This incident when taken together with the previous landmine incident on 9 August 2025 reflects Cambodia’s lack of good faith and contravenes the ceasefire agreement,” Thailand’s foreign ministry stated, calling on international donors to reconsider mine clearance assistance to Cambodia.
Thailand warned it may take “other measures of protest as deemed appropriate” and requested ASEAN’s interim observer team investigate the matter during future field visits to ensure border area safety.
The Royal Thai Army releases a photo from the landmine incident scene showing a 70-100 cm wide crater and scattered PMN-2 debris in Surin Province on August 12, 2025.
Cambodia’s Ministry of National Defense swiftly rejected the accusations. Spokesperson Maly Socheata “firmly rejected” Thailand’s claims as lacking “clear and founded evidence,” reiterating that “Cambodia has not, and will not, plant new landmines” and emphasizing Cambodia’s status as “a proud member of the Anti-Personnel Mine Ban Convention.”
Fifth Soldier Wounded in Routine Patrol
Major General Winthai Suvaree, Army spokesperson, told reporters that Sergeant Major Theerapol Piakhan from the 2610th Ranger Company was conducting a routine border patrol with six other soldiers when he stepped on an anti-personnel mine approximately one kilometer from Ta Muen Thom temple in Surin Province at 9:10 a.m. on August 12.
“The soldier sustained severe injuries to his left ankle and is currently receiving treatment at Phanom Dong Rak Hospital. His condition is stable and he is out of danger,” Major General Winthai announced during a press briefing.
According to Royal Thai Army data, Thai soldiers have stepped on newly planted Cambodian landmines resulting in leg amputations in 5 incidents:
July 16: Hill 481, Chong Bok, Ubon Ratchathani – 1 soldier
July 23: Chong Anma, Ubon Ratchathani – 1 soldier
July 28: Prasat Ta Kway, Surin – 1 soldier
August 9: Don Ao-Kritsana area, Si Sa Ket – 1 soldier
August 12: Prasat Ta Muen Thom, Surin – 1 soldier
Military Warns of Self-Defense Response
The army spokesperson characterized the incident as “clear evidence that Cambodia has violated the ceasefire agreement and disrespected international humanitarian law, particularly the Ottawa Convention, which prohibits the use and deployment of anti-personnel landmines of all types.”
“This represents a direct assassination attempt targeting Thai personnel occurring within Thai territory,” he emphasized, noting this was the fourth time Thai soldiers have lost limbs to what Thailand maintains are newly planted Cambodian mines, not remnants from past conflicts.
Major General Winthai stressed that similar incidents reflect “Cambodia’s malicious intent and continuous behavior in threatening Thailand and violating Thai territorial integrity, contrary to the ceasefire agreement reached during previous GBC meetings.”
The army official pointed to Cambodia’s refusal to accept Thai proposals regarding landmines during previous General Border Committee meetings as evidence of systematic planning. “We believe this landmine issue involves systematic planning intended to threaten and harm Thailand,” he stated.
The Second Army Region releases photos of explosive ordnance disposal and evidence teams collecting evidence from the landmine that injured a Thai soldier for the fourth time at Chub Ta Mok operational base near Ta Muen Thom temple. The investigation confirmed 100% that three additional PMN-2 landmines were found in new, operational condition—not old remnants—and located within Thai sovereign territory on August 12, 2025.
Major General Winthai concluded with a stern warning that while the Royal Thai Army has “consistently adhered to peaceful approaches and has not been the initiating party, if circumstances force us, we may need to exercise self-defense rights under international law to resolve situations causing continuous Thai personnel losses from Cambodia’s ceasefire violations and sovereignty encroachments.”
Historical Context and Competing Claims
The latest incident reignites long-standing disputes over landmine responsibility along the contested border. Cambodia has consistently denied deploying new mines, instead pointing to its extensive mine clearance record.
The Cambodian Mine Action and Victim Assistance Authority has previously stated: “We have not, and will not, plant new land mines,” noting Cambodia’s commitment to the Anti-Personnel Mine Ban Treaty and “internationally recognized record of removing, not deploying, these indiscriminate weapons.”
Cambodia has cleared over one million mines and nearly three million pieces of unexploded ordnance from more than three decades of war and civil unrest beginning in 1970. Cambodian officials have suggested that explosions might involve mines from past conflicts rather than new deployments.
Thailand continues pressing international bodies that Cambodia violates the Ottawa Convention, to which both nations are signatories, while Cambodia maintains its innocence in the escalating border mine crisis that threatens the fragile ceasefire agreement.
Migrant workers re-enter Cambodia through the Daung International Border Check Point between Cambodia and Thailand, in Kamrieng, on Wednesday, Aug. 6, 2025. (AP Photo/Anton L. Delgado)
By ANTON L DELGADO and SOPHENG CHEANG
KAMRIENG, Cambodia (AP) — 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 U.S. 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.”
“I got scared because of the border conflict,” said Kri Phart, one of thousands of Cambodians streaming shoulder-to-shoulder through the Daung International Border Gate last week, hauling rainbow colored bags, appliances and even guitars in the 40 Celsius (104 F) heat.
“Many of the Cambodians I knew working in Thailand ran away. Everyday more and more of us fled,” he said.
With a guitar in hand, a Cambodian migrant worker carries his belongings in Kamrieng, after crossing the Daung International Border Check Point between Cambodia and Thailand on Wednesday, Aug. 6, 2025. (AP Photo/Anton L. Delgado)
The reasons driving Cambodians to flee Thailand are varied. Human rights activists reported that some migrant workers had been attacked by gangs of young Thais. Others were alarmed by unsubstantiated rumors that the Cambodian government would seize their land and revoke their citizenships if they didn’t return home by mid-August.
Cambodia’s Ministry of Labor and Vocational Training estimates 1.2 million Cambodians were working in Thailand when the border disputes began to escalate in June. Estimates vary, but Sun Mesa, a ministry spokesman said at least 780,000 — about 65% — have returned to Cambodia.
He said the workers could find jobs with equal pay and benefits back home. Many of those who were driven by poverty or climate change to leave for work in Thailand expressed doubts.
“Now that I am back, there is going to be no income for a while and this will really put my family in a bad situation,” said Thouk Houy, 26, who left a job at a leather factory south of Bangkok that enabled her to send $70 to $100 a month back to her parents.
“I’m the last of my siblings who is still single, meaning it’s my responsibility to support my parents. I don’t know how I can do that now that I am back home,” she said.
Minor spats between Cambodian and Thai workers at the factory and her mother’s nightly pleas for her to go home were factors behind her decision to leave, she said. Handing over her belongings to be strapped into the back of a precariously packed van, Thouk Houy said the clincher was a claim by influential former Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen, father of the current prime minister, Hun Manet, that Thailand was preparing to invade.
“Now that I’m home, what will I do to make a living?” she said.
Shuttles packed to the brim with Cambodian migrant workers and their belongings drive away from the Daung International Border Check Point between Cambodia and Thailand, in in Kamrieng, on Wednesday, Aug. 6, 2025. (AP Photo/Anton L. Delgado)
Migrant workers fill vital roles in Thailand’s farming, construction and manufacturing industries. They also send home close to $3 billion in remittances each year, according to labor ministry data.
The loss of that income can be devastating for families relying on it to manage big debts, said Nathan Green, an assistant professor of geography at the National University of Singapore.
“These kinds of conflicts demonstrate how precarious migrant livelihoods are in Cambodia,” Green said.
An overseas advocacy group, the Khmer Movement for Democracy, has urged the government to defer loan payments and provide incentives for companies to hire returning migrants.
“Without economic safeguards, families of returning migrants will not be able to repay their debts and financial institutions will be at their throats,” said Mu Sochua, the group’s president. “We are talking about the poorest of the poor, who will be deprived of incomes.”
Meng Yeam, who was trying to wave down a taxi while keeping an eye on his belongings, said he managed to send his family back home 20,000 baht (roughly $600) while working as a manager at a rubber factory in eastern Thailand’s Chonburi Province.
More than 90% of the Cambodians working in the factory have left, said the 32-year-old.
Meng Yeam said he expected his family to be okay, though it won’t be able to save as much as it did while he was working in Thailand. And he was glum about the prospects for things to return to normal.
“Cambodia and Thailand need each other to do well, but for now, it seems like we just cannot get along,” Meng Yeam said. “I hope we can work in Thailand again one day, but who knows, maybe I will be retired by the time we stop fighting.”
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Sopheng Cheang reported from Phnom Penh, Cambodia.
