Thai-Cambodian border conflict disrupts holiday high season as tourists shy away

Economic and political stakes continue to rise from the Thai-Cambodian border conflict as the crucial high season for tourism begins for both countries. Thailand has imposed an overnight curfew in parts of Trat, the southern Thai province abutting Cambodia and a gateway to several popular resort islands. Late on Monday, Thai immigration police also announced extra screening of all air arrivals to prevent foreign “mercenaries” from slipping into the country. Meanwhile, Cambodia alleged the Thai air force struck Siem Reap province on Monday, 70km (44 miles) over the disputed border line. Siem Reap houses the country’s biggest tourist draw, the famous Angkor Wat temple complex. There have already been reports of foreign visitors cancelling trips to Cambodia, unsettled by the ongoing violence and uncertain about safe travel routes – a blow for a nation that depends on tourism for roughly 10 per cent of its economy. Both countries have accused the other of being the aggressor and of breaking the ceasefire along their disputed border. The latest bout of fighting is taking place along the entire 800km (500-mile) shared border – a ribbon of land that stretches from near Laos down to the Gulf of Thailand, where the Thai navy has hit Cambodian targets and is considering blockading fuel shipments to its neighbour. So far, more than 30 people – including civilians – have been killed on both sides, and hundreds of thousands from poor rural communities have been forced to abandon their frontier homes, harvests and livestock for shelters in temples and makeshift evacuation centres. “We’re looking after each other like family, supporting each other simply, eating donated rice. Some people have gone out to the fields to look for crabs,” Jeerapong Kemawangsoo, the abbot of a temple that is now an evacuation centre in Thailand’s Surin province, told This Week in Asia. “The situation has escalated and no one really knows how long we all have to be stuck here. I’m just mostly concerned about these people’s mental health. Physically they will all be OK, but their spirits are down, dreading the debt they all have to pay while they are not working.” In Cambodia, viral videos on social media show frightened villagers fleeing air strikes and artillery fire – scenes of panic that Thailand alleges were staged by Cambodian forces to garner global sympathy. In a statement late on Monday, the Cambodian defence ministry said Thai jets had bombed sites close to a camp for “displaced civilians” in Siem Reap province, a short drive to the Unesco-rated Angkor Wat temple complex. Ticket sales to the site were already down 17 per cent year on year between June and November, tour operator Angkor Enterprise told Agence France-Presse. Civilian targets? Thailand has denied targeting any civilian sites, saying its aim is to “decapitate” the Cambodian military, which it blames for rekindling the crisis by laying fresh landmines along the disputed border area. A five-day flare-up in late July left dozens dead on both sides before an intervention by US President Donald Trump appeared to ease the violence. Linking tariff and trade talks to the ceasefire, Trump later presided over the October signing of a joint declaration between Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul and his Cambodian counterpart, Hun Manet, declaring that his mediation had saved “millions of lives”. But it all fell apart within a fortnight. Over the weekend, Trump claimed to have spoken with both sides and once again secured a ceasefire – a boast quickly undercut by the escalating violence. Anutin has denied the existence of any such deal, according to Bloomberg, despite mediation efforts by Trump and Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim over the weekend. The Thai leader vowed to press on with military action until “we feel no more harm and threats to our land and people”. Alongside the air strikes, an information war has erupted between Thailand and Cambodia, each portraying itself as the victim in a conflict between leaders with long-standing business and political ties. Thai authorities have said they are screening for Cambodian-paid spies and foreign mercenaries at the country’s five main airports, accusing their neighbour of waging a smear campaign that included false claims of gas attacks on civilians. “The operations have been limited, targeted operations, aimed only to decapitate or reduce the threat from the opposing force,” said Surasant Kongsiri, deputy spokesman for the Ad Hoc Centre for Thailand-Cambodia Border Affairs, at a daily press briefing. “We are committed to resolving this situation with a long-lasting solution.” He claimed that dramatic evacuations of Cambodian civilians were “intentionally created to show to the global community” and were not due to “actions taken by the Thai side”, describing them instead as “a set-up, a performance – if you like – to show that Cambodian civilians have been affected”. Cambodia has portrayed itself as the victim of Thailand’s territorial aggression along a border demarcated by French colonialists but never formally ratified by Bangkok. Thailand’s foreign minister is expected to hold in-person talks with his Cambodian counterpart and other peers from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations next week. The meeting, postponed from Tuesday, suggests the conflict is likely to drag on for several more days. The political risks are also mounting. On Monday, Anutin announced Thailand’s next election would be held on February 8. Analysts say the poll will inevitably serve as a referendum on the caretaker leader’s handling of the border crisis, with him betting that the surge in nationalist sentiment will help solidify his grip on power. Meanwhile, Thailand’s influential Pheu Thai party said on Tuesday that one of its candidates would be Yodchanan Wongsawat, the nephew of Thaksin Shinawatra and the son of former prime minister Somchai Wongsawat.

Thai-Cambodian border conflict disrupts holiday high season as tourists shy away

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}Curfews, increased airport screening and the bombing of the province housing Angkor Wat have rattled foreign travellers

Curfews, increased airport screening and the bombing of the province housing Angkor Wat have rattled foreign travellers