Thai junta arrests 13 Cambodians; 232,000 cross border back to Cambodia

PHNOM PENH (Xinhua) - The Thai authorities have arrested 13 Cambodian migrant workers who were accused of using fraudulent work documents as at least 232,000 Cambodian laborers have been deported from or fled Thailand in fears of a roundup on illegal migrant workers, Cambodian officials said Sunday.

"Thai authorities arrested 13 Cambodian migrant workers last week for allegedly using fake stamps on their work permit papers," Koy Kuong, spokesman for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, told Xinhua.

"We heard that Thai authorities are preparing to send them to the court, so we have prepared a lawyer already to represent the group."

The 13 detainees were also the victims because they asked a ringleader to do work permits for them, but the ringleader used fake stamps on their work documents, Koy Kuong said.

Major Gen. Pich Vanna, chief of Cambodian-Thai Border Relation Affairs Office, said Sunday that at least 232,000 Cambodians, mostly illegal workers, had fled Thailand since a military junta came to power late last month.

 "Many more workers are still crossing the border back into Cambodia," he told Xinhua.

Cambodian officials estimated that more than 300,000 Cambodian laborers were working in Thailand before the junta's clampdown on illegal migrant workers and only about 90,000 of them had work documents.

A mass exodus of Cambodian migrant workers came after the Thai military regime warned last week that illegal foreign workers could face arrest and deportation.

Early this week, Cambodian Interior Minister Sar Kheng lashed out at the Thai junta for deporting Cambodian migrant workers in a rush without any prior notice or discussion with Cambodia and said the junta must be held accountable for all the problems that have occurred, including the loss of life.

At least eight Cambodians have died in vehicle crashes in Thailand while they fled Thailand in fears of arrest.

The junta has denied that it has a policy to crack down on or deport Cambodian migrant workers.