Without money to buy food or arrange transport back to their hometowns in Chiang Mai and Chiang Rai, the workers went to ask for help at the temple. Ban Rong community president Anukul Fuplook led a local housewife group to cook congee rice for the workers and children, who then camped at the temple pending more assistance.

Tee Thongpha, 37, from Chiang Mai’s Mae Ai ethnic group, said he and his colleagues had worked at the new municipality office construction site for two months in exchange for Bt500 a day to work as carpenters and Bt450 for general worker positions. The payments started to fall behind early this month and the construction halted as materials ran out, he said.

The workers were told that if they remained there they would still be paid so they did until all their money for food was exhausted.

Muang Khelang Nakhon Municipality Mayor Paithoon Photong has visited the workers and provided Bt10,000 for food, promising to give them Bt500 each for transport fees to go back home on Monday.

He also said he would contact the contractor about the overdue wages after officials met to discuss why the municipality office construction had not been finished by deadline.