Investigation Division 2 police raided a hidden camp of illegal workers inside a community in Nikom Phatthana District, Rayong Province, arresting a "Cambodian family" who had illegally entered the country and were living in a Thai employer's residence.
At 11:00 a.m. on 9 January 2026, at the third-floor meeting room of the Investigation Division 2 Headquarters, Pol. Maj. Gen. Chokchai Ngamwong, Deputy Commander of Investigation Division 2, along with Pol. Maj. Gen. Kiattisak Sarathongoi, Commander of Investigation Division 2, jointly held a press conference announcing the arrest and crackdown on illegal foreign workers under the operation "Crackdown on Illegal Cambodian Workers."
Authorities from Investigation Division 2 deployed police to search a residence in Village No. 5, Phananikom Subdistrict, Nikom Phatthana District, Rayong Province, after receiving a tip-off that Cambodian workers had illegally entered Thailand and were living together as a family. When officers identified themselves and conducted inspections, they found six foreign nationals, both men and women of working age, including a woman who had lived there for some time and spoke Thai fluently.
During interrogation, all workers admitted to entering Thailand without passing through immigration checkpoints. They worked as daily laborers digging cassava, earning 300 baht per ton dug, and stayed every night in the said house.
Later, Wisan, 36, identified himself as the homeowner and employer, admitting he had hired the foreign workers and allowed them to live in the house for convenience in work. Police charged him with harboring and assisting foreigners who entered the country illegally under the Immigration Act, punishable by imprisonment and fines.
Pol. Maj. Gen. Chokchai Ngamwong, Deputy Commander of Investigation Division 2, emphasized severe penalties and warned against copying such acts. Illegal foreign workers face imprisonment up to two years, fines up to 20,000 baht, and deportation. Employers hiring illegal foreign workers face fines up to 100,000 baht per person; repeat offenses carry imprisonment and blacklisting to ban hiring foreign workers in the future.
Given the current tensions along the Thailand–Cambodia border and the widespread issue of illegal labor in the eastern region, allowing illegal workers to form new communities in Thailand may lead to crime problems, expansion of human trafficking networks, and infiltration by criminal gangs. One must not prioritize short-term financial gain at the country's expense. Everyone must respect the law, and if illegal workers are found, authorities should be notified immediately.