"Bar Association to set up legal aid office in Thailand", 18 October 2019

The Bar Association of Cambodia will establish a legal aid office in Thailand to help migrants who run afoul of the law.

Its president Suon Visal ... said the association plans to set up the office in Bangkok.

“We plan to establish a legal aid office in Thailand to help our labourers who need legal services because we do not have any of our lawyers there to help them,” he said, adding that the initiative was made in August following a meeting between the association and the Bar Association of Thailand.

“The Thais agreed and we are now preparing to sign a Memorandum of Understanding with them by the end of the year in order to carry out our project,” Mr Visal noted...

Chou Bun Eng, an Interior Ministry secretary of state and vice chair of the National Committee for Counter Trafficking of Cambodia, ... lauded the association over its plan.

“That is a good move because we need to have legal aid offices to help our migrant labourers who require legal aid but can’t find lawyers to defend them,” she said...

... Heng Sour, Labour Ministry spokesman, said the ministry supports the initiative.

“This legal office will complement the legal service at our consulate, including by providing legal advice to labourers,” he said. “We have hired Thai lawyers in the past to defend cases involving our labourers.”

Moeun Tola, executive director at Centre for Alliance of Labour and Human Rights, also welcomed the move.

“I think it is good thing to have lawyers to help labourers in Thailand,” he said...