The Apostolic Prefect of Battambang has expressed skepticism over the Thai government’s plan to build a border wall with Cambodia to curb illegal crossings and human trafficking.
“The project of a wall seems rather unrealistic,” said Jesuit Father Enrique Figaredo Alvargonzález, a Spanish missionary who has worked in Cambodia for 40 years, in an interview with Vatican’s Fides News Agency.
“Today, there are many villages in our province that are unfortunately empty because young people migrate to Thailand to do the menial jobs that Thai workers do not want to do,” he said.
The priest stressed human trafficking “exists and it is serious,” adding it “is a scourge that must be fought with all available means, and this is also done through the cooperation and network of civil society.”
However, he questioned the effectiveness of a physical barrier given the realities of cross-border migration.
Father Figaredo argued that addressing the crisis requires diplomatic engagement rather than physical barriers. “But a wall is certainly not the right solution,” he said.
The priest said he believes that these problems are “addressed through dialogue and cooperation between governments at all levels and also through fruitful cooperation with non-governmental organizations and associations.”
Catholic organizations such as Caritas Cambodia are already working on the ground to combat human trafficking.
The Thai government recently announced that it is studying the feasibility of constructing a border wall with Cambodia to counteract human trafficking networks that supply fraudulent call centers and exploit forced labor.
The move is part of Thailand’s broader efforts to dismantle criminal organizations involved in financial fraud, drug trafficking, and smuggling.
According to the United Nations, hundreds of thousands of people in recent years have been lured by fake job offers, only to be trafficked and enslaved in what have been described as “scam cities.”
Thailand and Cambodia share an 817-kilometer border. In late 2024, the two nations inaugurated a new border crossing in Sa Kaeo province—the “Thai-Cambodian Friendship Bridge”—near Poipet, and extended crossing hours at Chong Sa-ngam border in Si Sa Ket province.
