"Returning Cambodian Workers in Thailand Can Restructure Loans As Border Tension Escalates", 16 June 2025

Cambodian workers in Thailand, who return home because of the border dispute, might be able to restructure their loan after Prime Minister Hun Manet urged the Association of Banks in Cambodia (ABC) and Cambodian Microfinance Association (CMA) to help ease their financial burden…

Kaing Tongngy, Communications Head of CMA, told … that they will reorganise the credit by either pausing or extending the repayment period based on the risk level and financial situation of the borrowers.

“As we know in the finance and banking sector there are lots of regulations to support Cambodian citizens who return [from Thailand]. We’ll use the measures to reorganise the credit like what we did during Covid-19. Last year, the National Bank of Cambodia also instructed us to use these measures for those with financial difficulties,” he said.

In a joint statement …, ABC and CMA expressed support for Hun Manet’s call to help alleviate the financial burden of workers with bank or microfinance loans…

Both ABC and CMA requested migrant workers in need of credit reorganisation or other support to contact their financial institutions directly during every working hours and to bring their identification card, credit documents, employment cards/books, and related letters to discuss and find a suitable solution. They might also need to sign or put down a thumbprint on agreements.

“The two associations will continue to collaborate with the National Bank of Cambodia and relevant parties to ensure that financial institutions remain fully and comprehensively involved in supporting national socio-economic development and improving the livelihoods of the people, to the extent possible,” the statement read…

Overall, there are 1.2 million Cambodian migrant workers in Thailand, according to the Ministry of Labour and Vocational Training’s official figures, but it is estimated that undocumented workers bring the total to more than two million.