BANGKOK, Sept. 26 (Xinhua): Thirteen job-seeking Cambodian nationals were arrested on an illegal entry charge in eastern Thailand on Saturday, an army officer said.
The Thai army's Ta Phraya Task Force arrested one group of five Cambodians, including three females and two males, after they had trekked through a natural path across the Thai-Cambodian border into Thai territory in Ta Phraya district of Sa Kaeo province, according to deputy task force commander Col. Thiradet Limkhunakul.
Meanwhile, the Ta Phraya Task Force stopped a pickup truck carrying another group of eight Cambodians, including five females and three males, on a road in Ta Phraya district early Saturday, Col. Thiradet said.
Also arrested alongside the Cambodians was the pickup truck driver, a Thai national, on a human trafficking charge.
The Cambodians, who are yet to be repatriated, had allegedly intended to find jobs in Bangkok, Nonthaburi province and Nakhon Nayok province, the colonel said.
Thai authorities have stepped up security measures along the border areas with neighboring countries to keep out illegal foreigners and prevent a possible cross-border spread of the coronavirus.
Meanwhile, Cambodia reported one new imported case of Covid-19(Sept 26) on Saturday, raising the total number of infections in the kingdom to 276, the health ministry said in a press statement.
The latest case was detected on a 70-year-old Hungarian man, who arrived in the capital city Phnom Penh from France on Sept. 13 via a connecting flight in South Korea, the statement said.
It added that the man was first allowed to quarantine for 14 days at his rental home in the Siem Reap city after testing negative for COVID-19 upon his arrival.
However, his samples were tested again on Saturday by the Pasteur Institute of cambodia, and the result showed that he was positive for COVID-19, the statement said, adding that currently the man is being treated in the Siem Reap provincial hospital.
Health Ministry secretary of state and spokeswoman Or Vandine said that after his arrival in Phnom Penh, the Hungarian man took taxi on Sept. 16 to travel to the Siem Reap city, where his wife lives. On the way, the driver stopped only once to tank up the car.
The spokeswoman said that during his stay in Siem Reap, the man had been at home with the only exception on Sept 17 when he went out with his wife to buy paintings in a shop.
The couple had worn face masks during their trip, she said. "Currently, health authorities, in cooperation with the World Health Organization and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, have been conducting contact tracing to find people who may have close contact with the man."
cambodia has so far recorded a total of 276 confirmed Covid-19 cases with no deaths and 274 recoveries, according to Vandine. - Xinhua
The Thai army's Ta Phraya Task Force arrested one group of five Cambodians, including three females and two males, after they had trekked through a natural path across the Thai-Cambodian border into Thai territory in Ta Phraya district of Sa Kaeo province, according to deputy task force commander Col. Thiradet Limkhunakul.
Meanwhile, the Ta Phraya Task Force stopped a pickup truck carrying another group of eight Cambodians, including five females and three males, on a road in Ta Phraya district early Saturday, Col. Thiradet said.
Also arrested alongside the Cambodians was the pickup truck driver, a Thai national, on a human trafficking charge.
The Cambodians, who are yet to be repatriated, had allegedly intended to find jobs in Bangkok, Nonthaburi province and Nakhon Nayok province, the colonel said.
Thai authorities have stepped up security measures along the border areas with neighboring countries to keep out illegal foreigners and prevent a possible cross-border spread of the coronavirus.
Meanwhile, Cambodia reported one new imported case of Covid-19(Sept 26) on Saturday, raising the total number of infections in the kingdom to 276, the health ministry said in a press statement.
The latest case was detected on a 70-year-old Hungarian man, who arrived in the capital city Phnom Penh from France on Sept. 13 via a connecting flight in South Korea, the statement said.
It added that the man was first allowed to quarantine for 14 days at his rental home in the Siem Reap city after testing negative for COVID-19 upon his arrival.
However, his samples were tested again on Saturday by the Pasteur Institute of cambodia, and the result showed that he was positive for COVID-19, the statement said, adding that currently the man is being treated in the Siem Reap provincial hospital.
Health Ministry secretary of state and spokeswoman Or Vandine said that after his arrival in Phnom Penh, the Hungarian man took taxi on Sept. 16 to travel to the Siem Reap city, where his wife lives. On the way, the driver stopped only once to tank up the car.
The spokeswoman said that during his stay in Siem Reap, the man had been at home with the only exception on Sept 17 when he went out with his wife to buy paintings in a shop.
The couple had worn face masks during their trip, she said. "Currently, health authorities, in cooperation with the World Health Organization and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, have been conducting contact tracing to find people who may have close contact with the man."
cambodia has so far recorded a total of 276 confirmed Covid-19 cases with no deaths and 274 recoveries, according to Vandine. - Xinhua
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