Sa Kaeo—Eastern Forces intercepted five Thai nationals illegally entering the country after being dismissed from a Poipet gambling website in Cambodia.
On 18 January 2026, reporters reported that on 17 January 2026 at 21:40, the Eastern Forces, through the Aranyaprathet Task Force (Roi. Thp. 1204), deployed personnel to patrol and prevent illegal activities in their jurisdiction. The patrol took place in a sugarcane field between Aranyaprathet checkpoints 52 and 53 at Ban Noen Sombun, Village 12, Khlong Nam Sai Subdistrict, Aranyaprathet District, Sa Kaeo Province, approximately 450 meters from the Thailand–Cambodia border.
During the patrol, authorities discovered and arrested five Thai nationals illegally entering the country (returning). The group included two men and three women. All confessed they had previously crossed the border illegally to work in online gambling operations in Poipet, Cambodia, starting in November 2025, using natural routes.
The detainees stated they were later dismissed by their employer for not meeting work targets, prompting them to illegally return to Thailand. Each paid a Cambodian guide 10,000 baht for passage. However, no guide was found at the time of arrest.
After the arrest, military personnel took all detainees to the Ranger Company 1204 headquarters for questioning as per procedure before handing them over to investigators at Khlong Nam Sai Police Station for background checks and legal prosecution.