BANGKOK – A growing exodus of Cambodian workers from Thailand is underway, driven by alarming threats from their homeland warning of property seizures, revoked citizenship, and even physical danger if they remain in the country, according to Thai employers and workers in eastern provinces.

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The crisis has left businesses scrambling as construction sites, factories, and other industries face severe labor shortages. Chitipat Janthong, a 55-year-old contractor in Bang Lamung district, said dozens of his Cambodian workers abruptly abandoned his 30-million-baht residential project despite his pleas for them to stay.

“They received calls from relatives saying their land and passports would be confiscated unless they returned immediately,” Chitipat explained. Workers were also told Thailand no longer had a Cambodian consulate and that they risked attacks from Thais—rumors he believes are deliberately spread to pressure migrants into leaving.

Interesting fact: Many Cambodians living in Europe today were fled to Thailand during the Khmer Rouge era. Some lived in Thailand for several years before migrating to third countries.#TruthFromThailand https://t.co/DnxJw0MC9G pic.twitter.com/mUuEQspXCM

— Rassmi 🌟 (@homysiri) August 3, 2025

The departures have devastated businesses that rely on Cambodian labor. Speedboat manufacturer Sitthikorn Pomthong said over 80% of his workforce in Huai Yai once hailed from Cambodia, but half have already fled. “Their families warned them they’d lose everything—land, citizenship, even medical care in Thailand,” he said, adding that reassurances of safety failed to stop the panic.

Some workers, like Dam, 40, chose to stay despite the pressure, fearing unemployment and debt if they returned. “I don’t want a war between our countries,” he said. Ta, 34, another Cambodian worker, dismissed the scare tactics, saying he trusts his Thai employer and avoids Cambodian news to stay calm. “Thailand is still safe for us,” he insisted.

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The mass departures highlight the broader fallout from recent Thai-Cambodian border tensions, with businesses warning of economic disruptions if the labor drain continues. Authorities have yet to address the rumors fueling the crisis, leaving employers and workers in limbo.

-Thailand News (TN)