Thai army says Cambodia rejected request for border transport leniency

Maj Gen Winthai Suvaree, spokesperson for the Royal Thai Army, issued a statement on Sunday (June 29) in response to a Facebook post by Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet, which claimed Thailand had requested the reopening of border crossings and included an official document from the Thai Burapha Task Force.

According to the Army’s clarification, the issue arose following Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra’s official visit to the border area on June 26, 2025. During her visit, she held discussions with relevant agencies to assess the impact of strict border control measures along the Thai-Cambodian frontier. 

As a result, she instructed security agencies to coordinate a joint meeting with government departments to explore ways to mitigate the effects on the local population.

Subsequently, on June 27, 2025, the Thai-Cambodian Border Management Task Force convened and approved a temporary relief measure. This measure would allow the cross-border movement of stranded Thai cargo trucks that had already completed export or transit customs declarations in the Thai Customs Department’s computer system by June 25. 

The exemption was specifically intended for vehicles needing to cross into and return from Cambodia via Sa Kaeo province, as part of pre-processed logistics procedures.

On June 29, the Burapha Task Force coordinated with relevant agencies to establish operational guidelines and sent a formal communication to the Cambodian side to request support for implementing the agreed-upon relief.

However, the Cambodian Ministry of Interior’s Immigration Department later issued a directive rejecting the request. The statement declared that no cargo transport — whether import, export, or transit — would be permitted across any international or regional checkpoints along the Cambodian-Thai border, under any circumstances.