Thailand has begun tightening land border controls, including blocking tourists from entering Cambodia, as tensions escalate between the two nations.
On June 23, Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra announced that Thailand would strengthen controls at land border checkpoints, preventing tourists from exiting the country. Only special cases such as students, patients, or individuals needing essential goods are permitted to cross the border.
According to the Thai Prime Minister, these measures aim to curb the flow of people heading to Cambodian casinos. However, AP news agency reported that it appears all tourists are being blocked.
In a simultaneous announcement, the Thai military stated that these measures have been implemented at all border checkpoints adjacent to Cambodia across five provinces, allowing passage only for essential purposes.
Relations between Cambodia and Thailand worsened after a clash on May 28, which led to a Cambodian soldier’s death. Despite an agreement to de-escalate, few tangible steps have been taken to reduce the strain.
Cambodia has since boycotted several Thai internet services and stopped importing electricity and fuel from Thailand, a country from which it previously sourced about 30% of its petroleum products.
Additionally, on June 23, Prime Minister Paetongtarn mentioned Thailand is weighing a ban on exporting goods that might aid ongoing scam operations in Cambodia. Thailand also plans to work with international partners to combat cybercrime across Southeast Asia.
Tourism between Thailand and Cambodia saw a sharp decline in June. The number of Cambodian visitors to Thailand in June dropped by 48%. Prior to the border tensions in June, Cambodian tourist numbers for the first five months of the year had already decreased by 14%, according to Thapanee Kiatphaibool, head of the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT).
According to AP, Bangkok Post
