Thailand is looking at the feasibility of building a wall along its border with Cambodia to prevent illegal crossings while Cambodia has yet to receive any information.
Thai government spokesperson Jirayu Houngsub said their “prime minister directed the cabinet and relevant agencies to further study the idea of erecting a wall between Thailand and Cambodia to prevent illegal crossings and travels of call-center [workers] as well as drugs and contraband trade”, according to RFA.
It is apparently part of its multi-national effort to “dismantle a sprawling network of illicit call-scam centres” based outside Thailand’s borders.
The decision was made by the cabinet after Thai Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra’s visit to Khlong Luek border checkpoint in Aranyaprathet district in Sa Kaeo province on March 1.
Cambodia and Thailand share an 817 kilometer-long border, where 121 out of 145 border markers have been erected by Cambodia, which is equivalent to 86 percent of the demarcation, Phnom Penh Post reported.
Cambodia’s Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Ministry spokesperson Chum Sounry told CamboJA News via Telegram that they have not received a formal invitation for a meeting with Thailand. “So, I don’t have information to offer.”
Early March, Cambodia’s General Department of Immigration deported 119 Thai nationals —61 men and 58 women via land border at Poipet checkpoint — who had snuck in to work and stay illegally in Cambodia in order to get a higher wage — by carrying out online scams. Following a raid on two buildings, authorities discovered 230 foreigners involved in an online scam operation.
On Sunday, Chinese Public Security Vice Minister Liu Zhongyi visited the border checkpoint in Poipet where he led talks with provincial level officials to tackle online scams.
Meanwhile, Banteay Meanchey provincial Sith Luos said he has not received any information regarding Thailand building a wall on its borders.
“I am not interested in Thailand’s affairs. If they want to build something on their own territory, let them do it, but it should not affect Cambodia’s territory,” he told CamboJA News, adding that there is no decision on the matter yet.
He referred details on the border to the State Secretariat for Border Affairs, however, Minister Lam Chea, in charge of border affairs, could not be reached for comment.
Banteay Meanchey provincial rights-based NGO Adhoc coordinator Soum Chankea, viewed the building of a wall or fence to prevent illegal crossings along the border as a positive step.
“We have seen illegal border crossings leading to human rights violations as people suffer from arrests and physical persecutions,” he said.
“When there is a fence along the border, it will reduce human rights offenses relating to illegal crossings,” Chankea added.
He noticed that illegal border crossings occur due to “collusion” by Cambodian and Thai authorities, especially along corridor checkpoints.
Government spokesperson Pen Bona declined to comment on Thailand’s plan to build a wall along the border.
National Defense Ministry spokesperson Chhum Socheat and General Immigration Department director-general Sok Veasna could not be reached for comment.
Thai government spokesperson Jirayu Houngsub did not respond.
