Nearly 180,000 Cambodians are allegedly fleeing Thailand to escape the threat of a clampdown on illegal migrant workers, Agence France-Presse reported.
As talks on the crisis were expected to be held between the two countries in Bangkok, the large number of Cambodians making their way out of the country was reported to be on the increase on Tuesday.
After Thailand's new military warned illegal foreign workers of being arrested or facing deportation, the mass exodus of laborers, who help keep major Thai industries of agriculture afloat, began to escape.
"The number of Cambodians returning from Thailand into Poipet (the main Thai-Cambodian border crossing) in just over a week reached 157,000 by this morning," said Kor Sam Saroeut, governor of northwestern Banteay Meanchey province where the checkpoint is based.
The border at O'Smach, a checkpoint some 155 miles (250 kilometers) northeast from Poipet, has been crossed by around 20,000 others, according to the governor and a senior Cambodian police.
A few hundred Cambodian migrants arrived in Thai military trucks and police cars at the crossing in Poipet, a bustling border town home to several large businesses, casinos and hotels, on Tuesday morning.
Last week, after issuing a warning that the country viewed illegal migrants as a "threat," Thailand's military regime has rejected any claims of forcing Cambodian workers out of the country.
The role of migrant workers is regarded with "great importance" in contributing to Thailand's economy, the foreign affairs ministry said.
"The Cambodian Ambassador to Thailand Eat Sophea was due to meet the Thai foreign affairs ministry permanent secretary Sihasak Phuangketkeow Tuesday morning for talks where they are expected to discuss the Cambodian worker crisis," according to AFP.
Illegal laborers have experienced a blind eye by Thai authorities in the past since they were required as a work force for the economy to boom.
However, after the economy contracted 2.1 percent quarter-on-quarter in the first three months of 2014 and is currently on the verge of recession, they have categorized the laborers as an unnecessary burden.
