Thailand ends border pass easing for Cambodians, restricts Thais to Poipet

Thailand’s Burapha Task Force has revoked a reprieve allowing Cambodians holding border passes to stay and work in Thailand, while prohibiting Thais from crossing the border to work in Cambodia’s Poipet border town, known as a hub for gambling and scam activities.

The reprieve did not cover Thais working in casinos in Poipet.

The latest tit-for-tat measure, in the form of a new order issued on Sunday by Maj-Gen Benjaphol Dechartivong Na Ayudhya, is in response to Cambodia’s refusal to open the border at three checkpoints opposite Thailand’s Sa Kaeo province, to allow Thai cargo trucks stranded in Cambodia for a week to return.

Under the new order, all Thais who were allowed to cross the border into Poipet to work in restaurants, shops or other businesses, except in casinos, through the permanent check points at Ban Klong Luk and Ban Khao Din, are no longer be permitted to cross into Cambodia, as of yesterday.

Cambodian workers, holding a border pass valid for seven days, who were being allowed to work in Thailand for 15 days at a time under a Memorandum of Understanding, can stay on to work unless their permits expired on or since June 23rd, pending further notification.

Last week, the Burapha Task Force decided to ease border crossing restrictions at the Ban Nong Ian, Ban Khao Din and Bang Nong Prue border check points, to allow Thai-owned trucks, stranded in Cambodia, to return to Thailand and to allow trucks to cross into to Cambodia for seven days for humanitarian reasons.

This was rejected by Cambodia's Prime Minister Hun Manet.

Read more: Hun Manet unmoved as Thailand relaxes border restrictions