Sen David and Yesenia Amaro
The Phnom Penh Post, Mon, 22 August 2016
Nearly 30 Cambodians detained in Thailand since early July were released last week, though four remain in detention, an official at the Cambodian Embassy in Bangkok said.
The migrant workers – 20 women and 14 men – were arrested on July 7 and taken to a detention center in Chol Borei province. They had been arrested for overstaying their tourist visas and working at an electronics factory without proper documentation, said Cheam Lamatin, counselor in charge of migrant workers at the Cambodian Embassy in Bangkok.
On Wednesday, all 34 workers went to court, and 28 were released, followed by two more on Friday, Lamatin said. The remaining four are also slated to be released, but a date wasn’t known yet.
Van Na, 24, one of the workers, said the embassy was helping them remain, this time legally.
“The Thai authorities allowed us to get our legal documents to continue to work,” he said.
Lamatin, who visited the workers while in detention, confirmed he will help them get reinstated in their former jobs.
Dy The Hoya, a labour officer at labour rights group Central, said the workers were cheated by a broker named Toch Vannak. The broker promised them they would be working legally.
The Phnom Penh Post, Mon, 22 August 2016
Nearly 30 Cambodians detained in Thailand since early July were released last week, though four remain in detention, an official at the Cambodian Embassy in Bangkok said.
The migrant workers – 20 women and 14 men – were arrested on July 7 and taken to a detention center in Chol Borei province. They had been arrested for overstaying their tourist visas and working at an electronics factory without proper documentation, said Cheam Lamatin, counselor in charge of migrant workers at the Cambodian Embassy in Bangkok.
On Wednesday, all 34 workers went to court, and 28 were released, followed by two more on Friday, Lamatin said. The remaining four are also slated to be released, but a date wasn’t known yet.
Van Na, 24, one of the workers, said the embassy was helping them remain, this time legally.
“The Thai authorities allowed us to get our legal documents to continue to work,” he said.
Lamatin, who visited the workers while in detention, confirmed he will help them get reinstated in their former jobs.
Dy The Hoya, a labour officer at labour rights group Central, said the workers were cheated by a broker named Toch Vannak. The broker promised them they would be working legally.
