Two senior Thai army officers have voiced opposition to easing cross-border restrictions with Cambodia, stressing that such a move would only strengthen Cambodia while ultimately harming Thai society and people.
They also reiterated that any decision on the issue should prioritise the sacrifices of Thai soldiers and innocent civilians who were killed or injured, as well as their families, during the clashes with Cambodia in late July.
Cambodia has shown no sincerity in settling disputes with Thailand; on the contrary, it has mobilised its troops along the border despite the ceasefire.
Lt Gen Boonsin Padklang, commander of the 2nd Army Region, said reopening checkpoints would definitely benefit Cambodia, whose economy relies heavily on goods from Thailand.
Boonsin said during a special lecture in Yala province yesterday that the closures prevent Thais from crossing the border to gamble or engage in online fraud schemes targeting fellow Thais.
“Cambodian border areas have long hosted casinos and online scam operations, while Thai goods such as cement and fuel could ultimately strengthen Cambodia and in turn harm Thai soldiers and Thai border communities,” he said.
Opening the border, he added, would only strengthen Cambodia, as cement, fuel, and consumer goods from Thailand would resupply it.
Even casinos, he said, lure Thai citizens into debt and ruin. These, he added, are also consequences of open checkpoints, and he questioned who truly benefits from reopening them.
“This is the reason we have to keep the border checkpoints closed. One voice becomes many voices — this is my view,” he insisted.
Boonsin is reaching retirement age this month but will be assigned as an advisor to the Army commander-in-chief.
He was responding to discussions during a recent Thai-Cambodian special General Border Committee meeting, in which both countries considered relaxing border restrictions to allow the transport of goods from Thailand to Cambodia to ease the economic impact.
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Both countries also agreed to map out a plan to remove heavy and highly destructive weapons from the border.
Quoting a senior figure, Lt Gen Boonsin said, “The nation’s interests must come before personal interests.” He added that while border traders are affected by the closures, some have accepted the move for the sake of national security.
Some traders told the media that although their businesses had been hit, they were willing to bear the losses if it meant Thailand would prevail in its disputes with Cambodia, Boonsin said.
The commander emphasised that all parties must think carefully about the border issue.
Meanwhile, Maj Gen Wannachana Sawatdee, Director of the Office for Security Coordination with the Internal Security Operations Command, warned against reopening checkpoints under pressure from a third country.
He said it was understandable, since the third country was pursuing its own interests, but stressed that Thailand must prioritise its own.
File photo: Maj Gen Wannachana Sawatdee
“Today, we think of the families of innocent people who have died, including those injured, as well as the frontline soldiers who have been wounded or killed in the fighting,” he said.
Residents along the Thai-Cambodian border, he added, want the issue resolved quickly. But, he clarified, this does not mean destroying Cambodia completely.
“It means ensuring Cambodia is affected militarily, economically, and in credibility, in order to reduce its capacity to threaten Thailand in the future.”
Wannachana added that withdrawing only heavy weapons from the border area was insufficient since Cambodian troops remain deployed.
He said Cambodia had demanded the return of prisoners of war but must first pull back its forces.
