Thailand blocks tourists from entering Cambodia as border tensions soar

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BANGKOK — Thailand began imposing land border restrictions Monday including blocking tourists heading into Cambodia as the two countries engage in retaliation in their border dispute.

Relations between the countries have deteriorated following an armed confrontation May 28 in which one Cambodian soldier was killed in a relatively small, contested territory. While the two sides have agreed to de-escalate their dispute, they continue to implement or threaten measures that have kept tensions high.

Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra said Monday that Thailand will boost screening at land borders and block departing tourists, saying that only students, medical patients and others who need to purchase essential goods would be allowed to enter or leave Thailand.

She said the measures were aimed at blocking people heading toward Cambodia’s lucrative casinos, but it appeared that all tourists would be blocked.

The Thai army said in a statement later Monday that it had implemented the measures at every land border checkpoint between Thailand and Cambodia in five provinces, and that it was stopping all crossings except for people with essential needs.

Cambodia, for its part, has boycotted some Thai internet services, and blocked electricity and fuel supplies from Thailand in response to the border dispute. Prior to the boycott, Cambodia imported 30% of its gasoline and other fuel from Thailand.

Paetongtarn also said Monday that Thailand will consider blocking exports that could facilitate scam operations in Cambodia and will co-ordinate with other countries and international agencies to crack down on cybercrime based in Southeast Asia.

Thailand earlier this year implemented measures aimed at cracking down on online scam operations in neighbouring Myanmar, severing electricity, internet and gas supplies to border towns where the scams were based.

Paetongtarn’s comments suggested Thailand would soon impose similar measures aimed at similar scam operations in Cambodia.

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An April UN report named Cambodia as a hub for scam operations in which workers go online to lure victims through false romantic ploys, bogus investment pitches and illegal gambling schemes.

Paetongtarn has been attacked over her perceived soft stance toward Cambodia, especially by right-wing nationalists who are longtime foes of her father, former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra.

A phone call leaked last week between Paetongtarn and Cambodian Senate President Hun Sen, the former prime minister who ruled Cambodia over four decades, sparked outrage and calls for Paetongtarn’s resignation.

Critics said she tried to appease Hun Sen, a longtime friend of her father, and made Thailand look weak by calling a Thai army commander in charge of the disputed border area as “an opponent.” Several nationalist activist groups have planned a rally this week to demand Paetongtarn’s resignation.

— Sopheng Cheang in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, contributed to this report.