Thailand has tightened controls on the movement of people and goods to from Cambodia via all border checkpoints in Sa Kaeo province, including a complete ban on Thai tourists gambling in casinos in Cambodia’s border town of Poipet, opposite Thailand’s Aranyaprathet district.
The measures were announced by the Burapha Task Force, in what is being seen as the use of economic pressure to convince Phnom Penh to stop the military build-up along the Thai-Cambodian border and to use MOU 43 as the mechanism to resolve the increasingly tense border dispute.
Under the new measures, introduced last night, the permanent border checkpoint at Khlong Luek in Aranyaprathet district, opposite Cambodia’s Poipet, will be open from 8am to 4pm, instead of 6am-10pm. Thais will not be allowed to cross into Cambodia to gamble or for tourism purposes through this checkpoint.
Cambodians will, however, be allowed to cross into and out of Thailand within the new checkpoint opening hours, providing that they have a passport or a border pass. The time they can spend in Thailand has been reduced from 14 to seven days.
Cambodians will be allowed to enter Thailand to seek medical treatment, for humanitarian reasons, with permission to be sought from the Thai-Cambodian coordinating office.
Thais who wish to travel to Cambodia to work or for trade are still able to do so, but they must have their passports or border passes screened by provincial immigration officials and their papers must be renewed every 10 days, instead of every 14.
All cargo vehicles with more than six wheels must use the Thai-Cambodian Friendship Bridge as the only route to travel to and from Cambodia. The bridge will open from 8am to 4pm instead, of 6am to 6pm.
The temporary checkpoints at Ta Phraya in Ta Phraya district and at Ban Nong Prue in Aranyaprathet will open from 8am until noon.
Troops deployed at the two checkpoints are authorised to decide who may cross the border. Trucks with more than six wheels are not allowed to use this checkpoint.
The new border crossing measures will remain in effect for as long as the Burapha Task Force deems necessary.
Thousands of Thai and Cambodian people were stranded on both sides of the Khlong Luek border checkpoint yesterday, when the gate on the Thai side was closed by Thai para-military rangers at 4.20pm. About half an hour later, the gate on the Cambodian side was closed by Cambodian immigration officials.
Many Thais working or trading in Poipet queued up at the Khlong Luek border checkpoint yesterday, in a rush to get home due to uncertainty over the border situation.
Meanwhile, Khao Phra Wihan National Park has closed the Pha Mor E-Daeng tourist attraction, in Nam Yuen district of Ubon Ratchathani, indefinitely.
