Cambodian Muslims go South of Thailand

A group of Cambodian Muslims show their passports at Khlong Luek border pass in Aranyaprathet district of Sa Kaeo. Authorities fear Muslims from Cambodia may join insurgent groups in Thailand’s restive deep South. TAWATCHAI KEMGUMNERD

Many Malaysia-bound, ‘not interested’ in strife
27/08/2012
Wassayos Ngamkham
Bangkok Post

Despite being closely monitored by Thai security authorities, Cambodian Muslims continue to enter Thailand through the Khlong Luek border pass in Aranyaprathet district of Sa Kaeo.

Most of them travel further to the southern border provinces of Thailand and enter Malaysia there. Thai immigration police know a number of Cambodian Muslims do not return to their homeland by the same route and likely stay in Malaysia as illegal workers.

Some Thai authorities are concerned about Cambodian Muslims’ entry and wonder if they might get involved in the insurgency in the far South.

Most Cambodian visitors say, however, they pay no attention to the violent conflict in the southern provinces.

“We are visiting relatives in Kelantan state,” said Ary Sa, a 31-year-old Cambodian Muslim man who was travelling with three relatives. He said via a translator while waiting for his passport to be examined at the Khlong Luek border checkpoint that they had left the Muslim-dominated Cambodian province of Kampong Cham at noon on Wednesday and planned to reach the Sungai Kolok border checkpoint in Narathiwat about noon on Friday and enter Malaysia from there.

They were passing through Thailand for the first time and planned to meet relatives in Kelantan. Previously, some of their relatives had made such trips.

A tour firm organised their trip from Kampong Cham to Sungai Kolok and charged them 1,500 baht each. They had a guide, especially for their border crossing to Sa Kaeo province because examination of paperwork takes a long time at the Khlong Luek border pass.

“I know nothing. It is so far away from my home, too far. But I am slightly concerned because I have heard news,” Mr Ary replied when being asked about the problems in the southern Thai border provinces and reports that Thai authorities are monitoring Cambodian Muslims entering Thailand.

The four Cambodians said they might not return home by the same route. They would like to return on a flight, which would be more convenient, and would ask their relatives in Malaysia to buy them air tickets.

Rumsy Sa, 24, travelled in another group also from Kampong Cham. He was on his way to visit relatives in the Malaysian state of Johor.

He was charged 1,500 baht for this trip and would stay for about 10 days. He said he intended to fly back to Cambodia and that he knew nothing about any problems in the deep South of Thailand.

Some visiting Cambodian Muslims’ destinations were in Thailand. Rofat Math, 29 from Kampong Cham, was heading for Nakhon Si Thammarat province to see a sick relative.

He had been in Bangkok once and knew through the internet that the Thai government has been monitoring the movements of Cambodian Muslims who visit Thailand.

“I have read news about problems in the three southernmost provinces. I have learned there are separatist movements but Muslims in Cambodia never feel involved because we would like to have a peaceful life,” he said.

Immigration police said Cambodian Muslims arrived with guides at the Khlong Luek border checkpoints every day from 9am to 10am.

Pol Lt Col Uthaiwan Promnok, an immigration inspector at the Khlong Luek checkpoint, said Cambodian Muslims were carefully checked. Most of them travel on to Malaysia and some likely worked illegally there for higher wages.

Pol Col Sangkhom Tatso, chief of immigration police in Sa Kaeo, said last year 14,965 Cambodian Muslims entered Thailand through the Khlong Luek checkpoint and 1,773 returned to Cambodia via the same route.

During the first seven months of this year, 12,035 Cambodian Muslims arrived and 1,412 of them returned through Khlong Luek.

Lt Gen Udomchai Thamsarorach, chief of the 4th Army that supervises southern Thailand, said visiting Cambodian Muslims were not involved in violence in the far South, while a small number of Cambodians lived in the region.