Thai troops and officials from the Livestock Development Department seized a large quantity of dried foods, such as powdered milk, rock sugar, fermented garlic juice and pork sausage casings, at a sugarcane plantation near Thai-Cambodian border in Sa Kaeo province today.
Thai officials said that the attempted smuggling is a clear indication that Cambodia is suffering increasing food shortages, ever since Thailand closed all border crossings following the bloody armed conflict in late July.
It is reported that a group of Thais visited Ban Nong Chan in Sa Kaeo province today, to offer their moral support to frontline security forces, stationed in the village to prevent Cambodian settlers from returning to claim the land.
The group also voiced their opposition to the reopening of the border, while Cambodia has repeatedly demanded that Thailand reopens it, but this is being rejected by the Thai government and military, claiming that Cambodia is yet to demonstrate its sincerity in seeking peace by withdrawing its troops from the border.
Meanwhile, Thai border forces in Ban Laem, Chanthaburi province, intercepted 96 Cambodians who had slipped over the natural border, reportedly seeking jobs in Thailand.
About 800,000 Cambodians, working in various parts of the Thailand, returned home during and after the armed conflict, at the urging of the Cambodian government, which had promised them better jobs and quality of life.
Upon their return home, though, most of them quickly became aware that there were no jobs and that food prices are increasing due to shortages caused by the border closure.
