Minister of Labour and Vocational Training Heng Sour has presented disturbing images and accounts of violence committed against Cambodian migrant workers living in Thailand by “Thai extremists”. The ongoing border conflict and escalating violence have driven more than 400,000 Cambodians home.
He raised the issue during his keynote address to a July 28 tripartite workshop involving the labour ministry, the International Labour Organization (ILO), and representatives of both employer and worker organisations. The workshop focused on the 2025 annual review of the implementation of Cambodia’s Decent Work Country Programme 2024–2028.
Sour condemned the violence, calling it “unacceptable and a grave violation of human rights”.
He explained that some Cambodian workers were attacked simply for not speaking Thai.
“They were walking home after work and were asked a question — they don’t understand Thai. People immediately assumed they were Khmer — and they just got beaten,” he said.
“This is something we never imagined could happen on Thai soil. It’s true the Thai government has announced it will take legal action against those who committed violence against Cambodian workers. But still, we continue to see violent incidents targeting our migrant workers,” he added.
The minister noted that not only Cambodians, but also ethnic Burmese who resemble Cambodians, have been targeted. If they couldn’t speak Thai, they too were beaten on suspicion of being Khmer. This has led many — both legal workers and undocumented migrants — to make the difficult decision to return home.
He shared that in just over two months, more than 400,000 Cambodians have returned from Thailand. On July 27 alone, over 120,000 people crossed back into Cambodia. By the morning of July 28, an estimated 60,000 to 70,000 people were still waiting at the Lem and Doung border checkpoints in Battambang province, with projections that the number could exceed 100,000 by the evening.
“This is a massive return of our workers — something we never anticipated, due to the severity of the violence and risk. It’s a tragic event, but it has already happened,” he said.
He stressed the need for Cambodia to prepare a special emergency budget package to help reintegrate returning workers into society and the domestic labour market — beyond just offering jobs and social protections.
In the next 2–3 weeks, he urged all relevant institutions to go to the grassroots level, where returning workers are now settling, to share job opportunities and support, ensuring everyone can find work within Cambodia.
The labour ministry recently announced that more than 250,000 secure job opportunities are currently available for Cambodians returning from Thailand, far short of the number of returnees.
