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PHNOM: Hundreds of thousands of Cambodian migrant workers have returned from Thailand following deadly border clashes between the two neighbors, a labor ministry official told AFP on Wednesday.
Cambodia and Thailand agreed on a ceasefire starting from Tuesday last week after five days of clashes killed at least 43 people on both sides when a long-standing dispute over contested border temples boiled over into fighting on their 800-kilometer (500-mile) boundary.
Huge numbers of returning workers and their families streamed through the Ban Laem-Daung border post between Thailand’s eastern Chanthaburi province and Battambang in Cambodia on Wednesday.
Most were laden with belongings — suitcases, backpacks, heavy bags, blankets and electric fans — as they trudged on foot through the crossing.
Cambodia’s labor ministry spokesman Sun Mesa said more than 750,000 Cambodians, including children, had returned since clashes broke out on July 24.
“They feel unsafe and scared in Thailand,” he said, adding that there were reports that Cambodian migrants were attacked by “gangsters.”
There was no separate confirmation of the total of 750,000. A Thai immigration officer told AFP the official figure was “confidential” but said “there are many crossing back.”
Thai media reports quoted the head of the Thai-Cambodia Border Trade and Tourism Association of Chanthaburi as saying more than 200,000 Cambodians had crossed back.
The group said on its Facebook page that about 20,000 crossed on Tuesday and about 30,000 were expected to cross on Wednesday.
A total of some 1.2 million Cambodian migrants have been living and working in Thailand, Sun Mesa said.
Cambodia’s defense ministry spokeswoman Maly Socheata said on Wednesday the situation remained calm along the Thai border and “our forces are on high alert.”
Officials from Cambodia and Thailand began meetings in Malaysia on Monday aimed at de-escalating border tensions.
Nearly 300,000 people fled their homes as the two sides battled with jets, rockets and artillery along the rural border region, marked by a ridge of hills surrounded by wild jungle and agricultural land where locals farm rubber and rice.

SARAJEVO: Bosnia’s electoral authorities on Wednesday stripped separatist Bosnian Serb leader Milorad Dodik from his position as president of the Serb entity in Bosnia, following an appeals court verdict that sentences him to one year in jail and six years ban on all political activities.
The Central Electoral Commission said that Dodik has the right to appeal, with an early presidential election to be held 90 days after the decision. The last Bosnian Serb presidential vote was held in 2022.
Dodik’s lawyers have announced that they will seek a temporary measure postponing the implementation of the verdict, and announced an appeal to the Constitutional Court of Bosnia-Herzegovina.
The appeals court in Bosnia-Herzegovina confirmed Friday an earlier court ruling that sentenced the pro-Russia Bosnian Serb leader to one year in prison and handed a six-year ban on political activity. As a result, his mandate as Bosnian Serb president was revoked.
Dodik rejected the court ruling and added that he will continue to act as Bosnian Serb president as long as he has the support of the Bosnian Serb parliament. He also received support from populist Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic as well as Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban.
The Bosnian Serb government said it does not accept the court ruling because it is “unconstitutional and politically motivated.”
The European Union said last week that the “verdict is binding and must be respected.” Bosnia is a candidate for EU membership but has been told by Brussels to strengthen the rule of law. Dodik’s separatist and pro-Russian activities stalled Bosnia’s progress toward EU membership.
Dodik has repeatedly called for the separation of the Serb-run half of Bosnia to join Serbia, prompting the former US administration to impose sanctions against him and his allies. Dodik was also accused of corruption and pro-Russia policies.
Dodik’s separatist threats have stoked fears in Bosnia, where a 1992-95 war erupted when the country’s Serbs rebelled against independence from the former Yugoslavia and moved to form a ministate with the aim of uniting it with Serbia. About 100,000 people were killed and millions were displaced.
The US-sponsored Dayton Accords ended the war and created two regions in Bosnia, Republika Srpska and the Bosniak-Croat Federation, which were given wide autonomy but kept some joint institutions, including the army, top judiciary and tax administration. Bosnia also has a rotating three-member presidency made up of Bosniak, Bosnian Serbs and Bosnian Croats.
Dodik has repeatedly clashed with the top international envoy overseeing the peace, Christian Schmidt, and declared his decisions illegal in Republika Srpska. The Dayton peace agreement envisages that the high representative can impose decisions and change laws in the country.