Deputy Prime Minister for Security Affairs Phumtham Wechayachai has agreed to consider the proposal, from Sa Kaeo’s provincial governor, for a budget of 385 million baht to build a 55km-long fence along the most porous section of the Thai-Cambodian border.
Phumtham and his staff were in Sa Kaeo province today to address the problem of illegal activities, such as scam call centres in the Cambodian border town of Poipet and human trafficking.
Sa Kaeo Provincial Governor Parinya Phothisat reportedly proposed that the government opens a Thai consular office, to look after about 30,000 Thais working in eight provinces in Cambodia, and assigns a 385 million baht budget to build a border fence, equipped with surveillance cameras, to deter cross-border smuggling.
The governor also raised questions about the locations of Wi-Fi and cell site towers and the strength of the signals spilling into Cambodian territory from Thai service providers.
Trairat Wiriyasirikul, deputy secretary-general of the National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission (NBTC),reportedly told the governor that all the internet and cellphone transmission towers located up to one kilometre from the border line will be dismantled and the strength of the signals on other towers will be reduced. Short messages can only be received within Thai territory, he claimed.
Phumtham said he expects the measures to disrupt the operations of scam call centres in Myanmar and Cambodia are expected to show results within six months, if there is full cooperation by all parties concerned.
