SURIN, Thailand – Thai officials say they are trying to support a 13-year-old Cambodian boy who has lived in Surin province for most of his life after he and his mother were arrested for being in Thailand without proper documents.
The incident became public after Sopon Jongboriboon, a teacher at Buachet Wittaya School in Surin, shared his feelings on Facebook about what had happened. He said he was deeply upset by the situation.
Mr Sopon explained that Immigration Police came to the school right after the morning flag ceremony and detained the boy for staying in the country illegally. Reports in local media indicated that police were acting on a complaint.
Once at the local police station, officers told the boy to change out of his scout uniform before they brought him to the Kap Choeng border crossing, according to the teacher.
Though he later deleted his Facebook post, Mr Sopon wrote that the student excelled in academics, music, and sports. He added that the boy has lived in Thailand since he came with his mother, does not speak or read Khmer, and has never returned to Cambodia.
The boy’s mother married a Thai man, and the family has lived in the Buachet district for several years.
Surin police chief Pol Maj Gen Sukon Sri-arun said their investigation found that the mother entered Thailand through an unofficial border crossing in Si Sa Ket province in 2018. She reportedly told police she could not find work in Cambodia and entered the country without documents.
Mr Sopon, who was present at the station, said both mother and son cried, as they would have nowhere to stay if they were sent back to Cambodia. He acknowledged that police must follow the law but pledged to find help for the student.
The handling of this case has led academics and human rights advocates to urge reconsideration, stating that the approach did not match international standards.
Jessada Denduangboripant, a lecturer from Chulalongkorn University, urged the Ministry of Social Development and Human Security to protect the boy, citing the Convention on the Rights of the Child, which Thailand adopted in 1992. He said all children deserve support, regardless of their nationality.
Law professor Prinya Thaewanarunmitkul of Thammasat University pointed out that the arrest was made without a warrant and was not properly recorded, which goes against the Criminal Procedure Code.
He added that it may also break the Prevention and Suppression of Torture and Enforced Disappearance Act, which requires video and audio recordings during detentions from start to finish.
Prinya also said that removing a child from a country he has lived in for a long time, without considering his ties or best interests, would violate the rights of the child. He warned that this could harm Thailand’s reputation.
Angkhana Neelapajit, a senator and former member of the National Human Rights Commission, said it is unfair to arrest a child under immigration laws when he arrived only as his mother’s dependent.
The Department of Children and Youth, under the Ministry of Social Development and Human Security, has now asked the Immigration Bureau to pause the deportation, seeking a solution that better protects the child.
Surin governor Chamnan Chuenta said the authorities acted under regular rules to manage migrants, especially while relations with Cambodia remain tense. He explained that officers had spoken directly with the family, and the mother had agreed to return to Cambodia to complete the correct paperwork for legal entry into Thailand.
The timeline for this process is still unclear. For now, the mother and son are being housed at a checkpoint in Sa Kaeo as officials consider the next steps.
