Cambodia Country Study Working Paper Series No. 44 ... - CDRI

There is also a pull factor. At the time of the study, the average wage for day labour was
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USD4–9 (Table 3.4). Work in Thailand near the border earns the least, less than USD3 per
day, with the smallest variation (standard deviation less than USD1). A real case is provided
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about the same as the wage of garment workers in Phnom Penh. However, the garment
industry in Cambodia employs only 350,000, while 250,000 youths enter the labour force
every year.
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Chantha, a 19-year-old from Rumduol village, Phnom Lieb commune, Preah Netr Preah
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and decided to go to Thailand to seek work after hearing from other villagers that
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taken a few villagers to Thailand via Boeng Trakuon border gate. To go to the intended
workplace, Chonburi province, the organiser asked her for 250,000 riels (about USD60).
Chantha’s household could not save such a big sum and was forced to borrow from a
moneylender. The 250,000 riels did not cover everything. Chantha needed to pay
30,000 riels more for transport from home to Boeng Trakuon, which took four hours. At
Boeng Trakuon, the organiser called another organiser in Thailand to pick up Chantha and
the others and take them to Chonburi.
Chantha earned 14,000 riels per day while daily consumption cost her only 2500 riels.
She worked hard but was happy that her hard work paid off. She expected to save 172,500
riels per month. With that, she could pay off the debt and send some money to support
her family. On the 15th day of work, her expectations came to a sudden end when she
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the cost of transportation and the fee paid to the organisers. She was kept in a crowded
room and provided food like pig feed . The room was so packed with illegal migrant
workers that it was impossible to move. On the third day of her imprisonment, the police
extradited her and the others to Cambodia via Poipet.
Some people from Chantha’s village were deceived by Thai farm owners who took
advantage of the illegality of the workers by refusing to pay the wage and threatening to
report to the police any workers who complained. Chantha said that if there were a regular
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Although Chantha had such a bad experience, she believed that working in Thailand
allows workers to earn more income, which can lift their families out of extreme poverty,
and to learn new skills and get to know foreign places. However, these expectations
are conditional on workers being fully protected by laws; otherwise illegal workers are
exploited by foreign employers.
Source: interview, September 2007
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