Thai nationals stranded as Cambodia shuts Poipet border indefinitely
Humanitarian concerns grow as Poipet border closure continues in Thai-Cambodia conflict
Thousands of Thai nationals remain stuck on the Cambodian side of the Poipet border, unable to return to Thailand, after Cambodian officials postponed their release indefinitely on Saturday.
This decision came despite earlier assurances that they would be permitted to cross back into Thailand.
Phnom Penh has since halted all movements at Cambodia-Thailand border crossings until further notice. The Interior Ministry cited security issues due to ongoing hostilities as the reason for this suspension.
Local reports indicated that Cambodian authorities had initially agreed to open the Poipet checkpoint, opposite the Khlong Luek border checkpoint in Aranyaprathet district of Sa Kaeo, on Saturday between 1pm and 4pm.
This was intended to facilitate the return of Thais previously working in the Cambodian casino town.
Thai authorities, upon receiving this information, quickly mobilised personnel and vehicles, completing preparations in under 20 minutes, according to a source at the scene.
The transport arrangements included local songthaew trucks, vehicles from the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation, military buses, and rescue and ambulance units to assist sick or vulnerable individuals.
However, at 1pm, Cambodian officials informed their Thai counterparts that the release would not occur, and no new schedule was provided. Consequently, Thai officials withdrew personnel and vehicles from the area, and police advised journalists at the checkpoint to leave for safety reasons.
Approximately 3,000 Thais had gathered at the Poipet border with their belongings on Thursday, hoping to return amidst intensifying clashes along the disputed frontier. Cambodian soldiers reportedly pushed the stranded Thais back from the checkpoint’s immediate vicinity.
The Thai ambassador in Phnom Penh has appealed to Cambodia’s Interior Ministry to permit Thai nationals to return on humanitarian grounds.
On the afternoon of December 13, Cambodian Senate President Hun Sen urged the Cambodian government to suspend cross-border travel for both Thai and Cambodian citizens.
Writing on his official Facebook page, the former prime minister cited safety concerns and the need to prevent potential harm to civilians during transit. The Interior Ministry subsequently issued its official suspension order on Saturday evening.
Thai officials previously stated that between 6,000 and 7,000 Thai nationals had registered to leave Cambodia since the recent outbreak of fighting began.
Thailand’s Burapha Task Force reported repatriating 7,118 Cambodian nationals on December 10 without conditions, emphasising that the ongoing conflict was strictly between military forces and that civilians should not be used as leverage.
The Thai Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated that Cambodia was breaching international human rights law by preventing the Thai nationals in Poipet from returning home, despite a prior commitment to reopen the border.
Foreign Affairs Minister Sihasak Phuangketkeow highlighted that Thailand had never detained Cambodian nationals wishing to return to their home country, stressing that allowing people to return to their homeland is a fundamental humanitarian issue, reported by Bangkok Post.
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