More than 100,000 Cambodians have fled Thailand in recent days. They’re apparently leaving because they fear Thailand’s new military rulers are about to crack down on migrant workers in Thailand. Many of those workers are Cambodians.
The new military rulers deny they are about to crackdown on those workers, but there’s no denying they are suppressing any resistance to their rule. This is part of the fallout from last month’s coup, which ousted the former government of Yingluck Shinawatra.
Leaders of the so-called Red Shirt movement, which supported the Shinawatra government, were detained after that coup and they signed agreements to abandon all political activity.
There are also thousands of people in the countryside of Thailand who still support the government that was ousted. The BBC’s Southeast Asia correspondent, Jonathan Head, has been to the province of Udon Thani to find out how they are dealing with the military takeover.
Note: Please download the Here & Now podcast or use the WBUR app to hear this interview.
Reporter
- Jonathan Head, BBC Southeast Asia correspondent. He tweets @pakhead.
Copyright 2020 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.