Khmer returnee from Thailand at Poipet border post
John Vink is the only (so far as I know) Magnum photographer based in Cambodia. Naturally his photos are very, very good. The link is to his Tumblr account, which is constantly updated.
The illustration above is from a photo-essay about the 200,000 of so Cambodians who have recently returned from Thailand in response to rumours that they were about to be expelled. They face unemployment and starvation, and there’s fear of a rise in theft and general petty crime. Not only the returnees are affected of course, but also all those who depended on their remittances.
On the Thail side, there are signs of a growing realisation that the Cambodians and Burmese workers were actually doing something – Thailand needs them. So possibly they’ll be invited back soon. One hopes.
Philip J Coggan 