Thailand seeks to repatriate thousands stranded at border
Thailand is working to repatriate up to 6,000 citizens stranded at a key border crossing in Cambodia after fighting between the two neighbours forced the checkpoint to close, authorities said on Tuesday.
Clashes along the disputed Thai-Cambodian border have entered a second week, with fighting reported across multiple locations along the 817-kilometre frontier. The violence has displaced more than 500,000 people and killed nearly 40 on both sides, according to officials, News.Az reports, citing Reuters.
Thousands of Thai workers have been unable to return home since Cambodia shut its Poipet border checkpoint, a move Phnom Penh said was aimed at protecting civilians from what it described as indiscriminate Thai fire. Cambodia has said other border crossings remain open where fighting is absent, and air travel is unaffected.
Thailand’s foreign ministry advised stranded citizens to seek assistance from its consulate in Siem Reap to arrange flights home and urged others in Cambodia to contact officials if they needed to leave.
Meanwhile, Bangkok is preparing plans to cut off fuel shipments into Cambodia and tighten controls on Thai-registered vessels amid concerns they could be supplying Cambodian forces. Regional efforts to broker a ceasefire are ongoing, with Malaysia set to host an emergency meeting of Southeast Asian foreign ministers next week.
Similar news
