Bangkok [Thailand], June 26: Thailand has closed border crossings in six provinces in a bitter border dispute with neighbouring Cambodia.
This also affects tourists, who can no longer travel by land via the popular Aranyaprathet-Poipet border crossing to the Angkor temple complexes. The military stated that only students and people needing medical treatment are exempt from the regulation.
European countries have issued warnings to tourists. The Foreign Office in Berlin, for example, urged German travellers to avoid the border region if possible, and they should also stay away from demonstrations and large gatherings, according to the latest security advice published late Tuesday.
A dispute over the exact course of the more than 800-kilometre-long border between the two South-East Asian countries has been simmering since colonial times.
The dispute recently escalated after an exchange of fire between soldiers from both countries occurred at the end of May. A Cambodian soldier was killed in the incident. In response, Cambodia imposed an import ban on food, fuel and gas from Thailand.
The conflict has already led to a severe government crisis in Thailand. The trigger was a leaked audio recording of a phone call between Thai Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra and the former long-time ruler and current Cambodian Senate President Hun Sen. This caused a great stir. Although Paetongtarn later apologized, the second-largest coalition party, Bhumjaithai, left the government alliance in response.
Source: Qatar Tribune
