PHNOM PEHN – Cambodia has suspended all border crossings with Thailand, leaving thousands of Thai civilians stuck in the town of Poipet with no clear timeline for their return. Thousands of Thais have been waiting at the Cambodian immigration checkpoint opposite the Khlong Luek border crossing in Sa Kaeo since Thursday.
As of Saturday, the Thai civilians were still unable to cross back into Thailand after Cambodian authorities delayed their return indefinitely.
Cambodia’s Interior Ministry later announced a nationwide halt to all border entry and exit. The ministry cited security risks linked to ongoing fighting in disputed areas as the main reason for the suspension.
Earlier, Cambodian officials had agreed to open the Poipet checkpoint on Saturday from 1 pm to 4 pm. The limited opening was meant to allow Thais working in Poipet, many of them casino workers, to go back to Thailand.
Once Thai authorities received this information, they moved quickly. According to a source at the scene, they were ready in less than 20 minutes. Local songthaew trucks, vehicles from the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation, military buses, and rescue and ambulance units were lined up to transport returnees, including those who were ill or otherwise vulnerable.
Cambodian and Thai Civilians Stranded
However, at 1 pm, Cambodian officials told their Thai counterparts that the release would not go ahead. They also said no new schedule had been set. Thai authorities then pulled back their staff and vehicles, and police asked journalists at the checkpoint to leave for safety reasons.
Around 3,000 Thai civilians had gathered at the Poipet border area with their belongings on Thursday, hoping to return as clashes intensified along the contested frontier. Cambodian soldiers reportedly pushed the group away from the immediate area around the checkpoint.
Thailand’s ambassador in Phnom Penh appealed to Cambodia’s Interior Ministry to allow Thai nationals to come home on humanitarian grounds.
On Saturday afternoon, Cambodian Senate President Hun Sen publicly called for a halt to cross-border travel for both Cambodian and Thai civilians. Writing on his official Facebook page, the former prime minister said the move was needed to protect civilians and reduce the risk of harm while they were in transit.
The Interior Ministry later issued a formal order to suspend movements at the border. Thai officials said previously that between 6,000 and 7,000 Thai civilians had registered to leave Cambodia after the latest round of fighting began.
Thailand’s Burapha Task Force reported that it had already helped 7,118 Cambodian nationals return to Cambodia on 10 December without any conditions. The task force stressed that the conflict involved only military forces and that civilians should not be used as leverage.
The Thai Ministry of Foreign Affairs accused Cambodia of breaching international human rights law by stopping Thai nationals in Poipet from going home after earlier agreeing to reopen the border.
Foreign Affairs Minister Sihasak Phuangketkeow said Thailand had never held Cambodian nationals who wished to return to their own country. Allowing people to go back to their homeland, he said, is a basic humanitarian issue.
