ARANYAPRATHET, Thailand/BANGKOK – Dozens of tourists and workers, some carrying children, were left stranded on June 24 at Thailand’s main land crossing with Cambodia, after the army stopped almost all border traffic in an escalating territorial dispute.
Thailand has closed crossing points in all seven border provinces to everyone except students and those seeking medical treatment, after a long-running row erupted into military clashes in May in which a Cambodian soldier was killed.
There was confusion at the Ban Khlong Luek checkpoint in Sa Kaeo province – the main crossing for people travelling overland to Cambodia’s Siem Reap, where the Angkor Wat complex is located.
Around 50 Cambodian workers, mostly vendors who regularly cross into Thailand for trade, found themselves stuck at the checkpoint, unable to return home.
“I wanted to go back last night but had to sleep at my shop instead because police didn’t allow me to cross,” said Ms Malin Po, 38, a clothing seller.
“I usually cross every day because I come to work in Thailand and go back home to Cambodia.”
She said no one had explained why the checkpoint was closed, leaving many frustrated.
Riot police were stationed near the crossing point – a grand archway sealed shut with yellow railings – as people trudged back towards the Thai side after being turned away.
Mr Chanta Wo, 32, a Cambodian carpenter based in Sa Kaeo, said he was trying to cross the border after learning that his 73-year-old mother-in-law had just died.
Travelling with his wife, brother, two-year-old daughter and a one-month-old baby, he was seen changing his infant son’s nappy on a bench near the checkpoint.
“I was warned away by the police… I’m very concerned,” he told AFP.
The Thai military said in a statement that the restrictions “matched the current security situation, particularly in addressing the conflict in areas between Thailand and Cambodia that continue to intensify politically, diplomatically and militarily”.
The military added that the measures would also assist in a crackdown on illegal scam centres in Cambodia flagged by Thai Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra on June 23.
Border row
Besides Cambodian workers, a handful of tourists hoping to cross the border also found themselves stuck.
Mr Matteo Toso, 34, from Turin, Italy, said he was backpacking across Asia and had spent two months starting from Nepal before attempting to cross into Cambodia.
“I might have to go back to Bangkok and take a plane to Cambodia, but of course that’s more expensive,” he told AFP.
He said he was concerned that tensions between Thailand and Cambodia could impact Thailand’s tourism in the long run.
“I haven’t seen many tourists, but it’s the low season,” he said. “During the high season, this could be bad for the country.”
Thailand and Cambodia are at odds over several small sections of their border in a row that dates back to the drawing of the 800km frontier in the early 20th century during the French occupation of Indochina.
Violence sparked by the dispute has led to at least 28 deaths in the region since 2008, but the issue had died down in recent years until the flare-up in May.
Peace-seeking talks stalled, and Cambodia has banned imports of fuel and oil from Thailand, as well as Thai fruit and vegetables.
The row has also gravely wounded Ms Paetongtarn, who is facing calls to quit over a leaked phone call with Cambodia’s former leader Hun Sen during which she seemed to be appeasing Phnom Penh and undermining her own military.
Thai border police said it was unclear when the crossing would reopen, adding that officers on the ground were following military orders with limited information. AFP, REUTERS
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