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Saturday 24 July 2010

A penniless slave labourer collapsed trying to walk home to Kampong Cham from Thailand


By Khmeriaztion
Source: Kampuchea Thmey

A penniless slave labourer working in a Thai fishing boat for the last 4 years has on Friday 23rd July collapsed on the curb of Highway 6A in Slor Kram district of Siem Reap city after walking 3 days without food to go to his hometown of Kampong Cham province on the other side of the country after escaping from a Thai fishing boat, reports Kampuchea Thmey.

Thirty-two year-old Sna from the district of Korng Meas in Kampong Cham procince said he had worked in Thailand as a fisherman for the last 4 years holding the position as a fish-dryer. Because he felt very homesick and missed his family, he asked his Thai employer for permission to visit his family in Kampong Cham in Cambodia, but he refused to give permission. So, Sna decided to escape and all his salary for the last 4 years was not paid to him.

He said he has to hitch-hike to get to the border town of Poipet. Once arriving at Poipet, he had hitch-hiked a cement truck to get to Siem Reap but the truck did not go to Siem Reap, so it dropped him off half way. Afterward, he tried to hitch-hike many vehicles, but no vehicle gave him a lift so he has to walk without food for 3 days to to get to Siem Reap. Due to tiredness and exhaustion, he collapsed in front of Siem Reap's Samakki Market. Shoppers and shopkeepers saw him and gave him water and food and nursed him back to life. Some gave him money for a trip back home to Kampong Cham.

Slave labour and trafficking of workers into Thailand have been a problem in Cambodia for some time. Many have been trafficked to Thailand and ended up working as slave labourers with appalling conditions, often without pay. Many ended up in Thai jails and some have died tragically.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

My poor fellow Cambodian!

When shall Cambodia have a proper or even close-to-proper government to take good care of its citizens, the way they deserve rather than itself?

Cambodia, as a country, has a long way to go!

Anet Khmer

Anonymous said...

My poor fellow Khmer! Your story is so sad. This is the result of Hun Sen's failure to generate employment for our people in Cambodia that's they have to go to a neighboring country and they treated Khmers like dogs. If the Thai government is concerned about human trafficking and human rights abuses and exploitation, it must bring this company and employer to justice and make him pay all the salary to this poor young man.