Cambodians Assaulted in Thailand

Cambodians Assaulted in Thailand

Monday, 21 November 2016

Six Cambodians were involved in a violent dispute Friday evening with several stick-wielding Thai security guards at Thailand’s Banlem market in Chantaburi province, police said.

According to a video circulated online, between six and seven Thai security guards were seen beating up the Cambodian workers with sticks and even stomping on one victim after they were reportedly drinking and causing a ruckus in front of a store.

Three Cambodians were injured in the altercation, two of whom – Chea Kong, 46, and Reut Saran, 36, – sustained serious injuries. The third victim, Nhean Ret, 29, sustained only minor injuries.

According Seng Vuthy, a police officer from Battambang province’s Kamrieng district, the district neighboring the Thai province where the altercation happened, the six Cambodians were drinking, talking loudly and even threw up outside the store, which resulted in the Cambodian store owner calling the Thai police to disperse them.

The group of Cambodians got into a verbal argument with the Thai security guards before things escalated into a physical fight.

“On that night, three who were injured were sent to the hospital in Sampov Loun district,” he said, referring to a district in Battambang province.

Kamrieng district police chief Kim Punlork, who went to Thailand after the altercation, demanded the Thai authorities compensate the victims and insisted that such incidents are not repeated.

“With the order from His Excellency Commissioner Sar Thet, who also spoke to the Thai authorities, I went directly to Thailand to talk to them and told them not to repeat that kind of violence against Cambodians and told them to respect the dignity and honor of the Cambodian people,” he said.

“The Thai side also gave 6,000 baht [about $170] to the two Cambodian men who were seriously injured and another 4,000 baht to the Cambodian lady who sustained minor injuries and I told them that amount of money was just for medical treatment,” he said, adding that Thai authorities also agreed to give the victims additional compensation beyond covering their medical costs.

Separately, a Cambodian cassava plantation worker was reportedly shot dead by this Thai employer on Friday in Sakeo province after a dispute, according to the province’s Cambodian consul.

“The Cambodian consul in cooperation with the Thai authorities sent the body of Sar Ngi, 32, to Siem Reap province. She went to Thailand’s Sakeo province to work on a cassava plantation,” the official announcement said.

Ms. Ngi’s body was sent back to Cambodia through the Poipet International Checkpoint Saturday night.

According to the announcement, Mr. Ngi was shot on Friday at about 9pm after a dispute with her employer. However, no details were provided about the nature of the dispute.

“The body arrived in Cambodia yesterday [Saturday] night and hers relatives already took it for the funeral,” Banteay Meanchey provincial Adhoc coordinator Soum Chankea said.

Mr. Chankea added that he did not hear of any arrangements for compensation or legal action against the victim’s Thai employer, but added that it was not unusual for such cases not to be pursued by authorities.

“It is very difficult to find justice for Cambodian workers in Thailand. When there is a problem, we rarely hear about the compensation being properly paid for by the Thai boss and the kind of legal action against them,” he said.

Foreign Affairs Ministry spokesperson Chum Sounry could not be reached for comment.