Alternative workforce of over 200,000 ethnic minorities to replace Cambodian labourers

On November 15, 2025, Suradet Yasawat, deputy leader of the Palang Pracharath Party (PPRP) and Chairman of the Advisory Committee to the Minister of Labour, discussed the issue of replacing Cambodian labourers after the conflict along the Thai-Cambodian border. He expressed that, in his capacity as Chairman of the Advisory Committee, he saw no major issues with this matter, as plans for replacing Cambodian labourers were already in place.

There are two main proposals for replacing Cambodian workers. The first involves sourcing labour from ethnic minorities living in the mountains, who do not have Thai citizenship but are willing to work. There are currently over 200,000 people in this group, and around 700 people from this group have already begun working in Chiang Rai province. However, to work outside the area, they would need work permits from the Ministry of Labour. Suradet is confident that ethnic minority workers can replace Cambodian workers, particularly in agriculture, as they speak Thai and have no communication barriers with employers. This information will be sent to the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Labour for submission to Minister of Labour, Trinuch Thienthong.

The second proposal is to recruit Bangladeshi workers who are interested in coming to Thailand. Additionally, there are about 40,000 workers currently in refugee centres or shelters, as mentioned by the Minister of Labour, who could also be utilized as a workforce replacement.