Banteay Meanchey provincial police are searching for a broker who was attempting to illegally take Cambodian migrant workers across the border in search of work in Thailand after eight people were detained on May 1 on the Cambodia-Thai border.
Malai district police chief Ben Sam Ath said the incident occurred in Sangkae village in Malai district’s Boeung Beng commune.
“For now,the police are working to locate the broker. Meanwhile, we have sent the workers to quarantine centres in Malai district,” he said.
The police identified the eight people as Voeur Chhorvoan, 27, a resident of Phniet commne in Sisophon district; Heang Sokheng, 29; Rean Tavan, 8; So Nita, a one-year-old child. They hailed from Samrong commune of Pursat province’s Phnom Kravanh district.
Another three were ChhanSaolin, 31; Vo Nalen, 4; Vo Sinthan, a nine-month-old child. They are residents of Srah Raing commune in Banteay Meanchey’s Mongkol Borei district.
The eighth, 24-year-old Chhorn Kosal, hailed from Damrei Puon commune in Prey Veng province’s Svay Ontor district.
Citing the accounts of one of the eight people, Sam Ath said that before the arrest they were in Malai district and the broker would contact them by phone.
“The broker got a driver to transport them in a minivan. The driver was paid 700 baht to take them to the district.”
On arrival in the district, the workers got out of the minivan and walked on their own. They were told people were waiting to receive them, but while walking the police detained them.
