Thai Navy says Cambodia has made no formal border request

The Royal Thai Navy has not yet received any formal request from Cambodia to reopen the Chanthaburi-Trat border checkpoints, a navy source said on April 14, adding that any move would first have to go through the Chanthaburi and Trat Border Defense Command, which oversees the area under current government policy.

The source said some information had circulated informally, but any discussions appeared to remain at the local level for now. If local talks produce a conclusion, the matter would then be submitted to the Navy before being forwarded to the defence minister and the government under standard procedure.

Navy says any proposal must come through formal channels

According to the source, the border command, or the Trat Marine Task Force, remains in control of the area and continues to strictly follow government policy. The source stressed that any decision on whether to reopen the checkpoints would require careful and comprehensive consideration rather than a rushed response.

That process, the source said, would need to weigh several factors, with national security remaining the principal concern.

Security remains the core factor in any reopening decision

The navy source said the situation was still quiet and that the issue was not regarded as urgent. Cambodia, the source added, would need to present a concrete plan to the Thai side first if it wanted progress on reopening, rather than trying to pressure Thailand into moving faster.

The source said Thailand also had its own procedures and would need to examine the issue from multiple angles before any decision could be taken.

That cautious line broadly matches Thailand’s current border policy. In June 2025, the Foreign Ministry said measures at Thai-Cambodian checkpoints could be tightened, shortened or selectively closed depending on local conditions, and that the Chanthaburi and Trat Border Defense Command was responsible for applying those measures in the eastern border provinces.

Cambodia told to submit a concrete plan first

The source’s remarks come as Thailand continues to frame border management as a matter of phased control rather than automatic reopening. The Foreign Ministry has said checkpoint arrangements are handled case by case, with opening times, crossing conditions and restrictions varying by location.

Thai official messaging in recent months has also stressed that peace and stability along the border depend on restraint, transparency and good-faith cooperation. In March 2026, the Thai Foreign Ministry said progress on land boundary work required Cambodia’s “good-faith cooperation and sincerity”, while official Thai statements in February called for both sides to support an atmosphere of peace and good relations.

Border issue sits against a longer Thai-Cambodian dispute

The latest checkpoint question comes against the backdrop of a much longer and more sensitive Thai-Cambodian border dispute. Thailand and Cambodia have contested sovereignty at several undemarcated points along their 817-kilometre land border for more than a century, with tensions periodically flaring into armed clashes. The two countries agreed to a ceasefire on December 27, 2025, after 20 days of fighting that killed at least 101 people and displaced more than half a million people on both sides.