New storm brewing in Asia? Thailand closes border to tourists amid clashes with Cambodia

On Saturday, Thailand shut down two of its border crossings for tourists as a safety measure amid brewing tensions with its neighbouring nation, Cambodia. The Thai authorities announced the move following the killing of a Cambodian soldier during a brief military clash on May 28 in an area known as the Emerald Triangle.

What makes the region significant is that here is where the borders of Thailand, Cambodia and Laos meet. It is important to note that Thailand and Cambodia share an 817 kilometre (508 mile) border, first mapped by France in 1907 when Cambodia was its colony. For decades, the two Asian neighbours have disputed various undemarcated points along the frontier.

The full-scale fighting between the two nations first broke out in 2008. Interestingly, the fight was over an 11th-century Hindu temple, and the clashes ultimately led to sporadic violence over several years. In 2013, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) ruled that the disputed area belonged to Cambodia. However, Thailand says it does not accept the ICJ’s jurisdiction and seeks a bilateral settlement.

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What is Thailand’s take on the matter?

In a statement on Saturday, authorities in the eastern province of Chanthaburi said that they had “temporarily suspended” crossings by Thai and Cambodian tourists at two permanent border checkpoints. Soon after this, the Royal Thai Army cited a threat to Thailand’s “sovereignty and security” as the reason behind the move.

The army made it clear that trade would be unaffected, and Cambodian workers could still be allowed to enter Thailand. Apart from this, six other border checkpoints tightened their opening hours and issued bans on six-wheeled vehicles.

In a separate statement, Thai Defence Minister Phumtham Wechayachai said the army had reinforced its military presence at the border in light of increasing deployment on the other side of the border. “There has been a reinforcement of military presence [by Cambodia], which has exacerbated tensions along the border,” Phumtham, who is also deputy prime minister, said in a statement.

“Consequently, the Royal Thai Government has deemed it necessary to implement additional measures and to reinforce our military posture accordingly,” he added. On Friday, Thailand’s army made it clear that it is ready to launch a “high-level operation” to counter any violation of Thailand’s sovereignty.

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The Thai Foreign Ministry later said on Saturday that the country was committed to holding bilateral talks with Cambodia on June 14 to resolve the dispute.

What has Cambodia said?

Meanwhile, Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet said in an address on Saturday that his country’s stance was “not to initiate conflict, but to defend ourselves.”

Earlier this week, Hun said that the kingdom would file a complaint with the International Court of Justice (ICJ) over the border dispute.

As of now, the two neighbours had agreed to ease tensions following last month’s killing, but Cambodia eventually said that it would keep its troops in the area, in defiance of a request by Bangkok. In light of this, the Southeast Asian regional bloc ASEAN and China have both made efforts to reduce tensions in recent days.