Cambodian workers in Thailand caught in crossfire of nationalist war
More than 1 million Cambodian workers fear the damaging impact of a worsening row between Bangkok and Phnom Penh
Over 5,000 Cambodian workers returned each day last week, fearing border closures and a growing nationalist enmity inside Thailand, Cambodian officials have said.
“Cambodia doesn’t want to see war break out because we’re used to swimming across it,” Hun Manet posted on his Facebook page. “But we can’t stand to be abused.”
The row began in late May after a Cambodian soldier was shot dead by Thai troops in a firefight that Bangkok said was triggered by an incursion on Thai soil – a claim denied by Cambodia.
Since then, leaders of the two countries have traded allegations, closed borders and stopped the flow of certain goods, while citizens in both nations urge boycotts and trade insults online.