Cambodia will “completely” close its side of the Daung International Border crossing with Thailand in Battambang province, the immigration department said, marking the latest move in mounting border tensions.
In a statement on Friday afternoon, the department said it had closed the checkpoint until further notice to “maintain the security and safety of citizens.”
The port of entry is one of two international checkpoints in Battambang that handle the flux of freight traffic. The other, Phnom Dei, along with three peripheral crossings, remains open, provincial governor Sok Lou said, asserting that the situation in Battamnbang remains calm.
Thailand previously cut its operating hours at the Daung crossing, known as Ban Laem on the Thai side, by half.
Lou mimicked Senate President Hun Sen’s strong rhetoric towards Thailand on Friday, framing the closure as retaliation for Thailand’s unilateral move to shorten border gate operating hours on June 7. He also cited speculation that Thailand might sever internet links – a claim dismissed by the Thai prime minister – though Cambodia moved first, cutting connections on Friday.
Businesses in Phnom Penh have since reported slower internet speeds, while Cambodian providers have asked clients to be patient as they reroute international IP traffic.
The internet cutoff was also followed by a ban on Thai films in Cambodian cinemas and on television, the cancellation of boxing matches with Thai fighters, and threats from Hun Sen to embargo Thai goods if Bangkok did not reverse its restrictions – all announced by the afternoon of June 13.
Yet the two countries are set to meet Saturday in Phnom Penh for a session of the Joint Boundary Committee, which was scheduled after the May 28 clash near the disputed Preah Vihear temple that left one Cambodian soldier dead and triggered escalating tit-for-tat measures, including Cambodia’s decision to take the case to the International Court of Justice.
“I support the government’s decision to shut the Cambodia-Thailand border crossing in Battambang,” Hun Sen wrote on Facebook shortly after the announcement, adding in the comments that the closure would be reversed once Thailand lifts all border restrictions.
He also claimed that Thai telecom and manufacturing firms could lose billions of dollars if the internet cuts continue and if Cambodians boycott Thai goods. He then called on Thai farmers to protest against the military.
Leung Sophorn, who works on migrant labor rights at local NGO Central, said Cambodian migrant workers in Thailand have expressed concern for their safety as tensions rise.
There are about 1.2 million documented Cambodian migrant workers in Thailand, according to Sophorn.Concerns over economic fallout in border towns and for day laborers began after Thailand first imposed border restrictions last week, but have since deepened as Cambodian leaders threaten an embargo.
(Additional reporting by Seoung Nimol)
