Thai Navy says no checkpoint reopening plan, urges use of diplomatic channels

The Royal Thai Navy on Tuesday denied social media claims that Thailand would open a route along the Chanthaburi-Trat border to allow relief supplies to be sent from Thailand to Cambodia, calling the reports false and describing them as fake news. A navy source said no formal Cambodian request to reopen the border checkpoints had been received and that any such move would have to follow official procedures and security reviews.

Rear Admiral Parach Rattanachaiyaphan, spokesman for the Royal Thai Navy, said that if Cambodia wanted assistance, it should use existing diplomatic channels. He added that the navy had no policy to reopen any checkpoint or crossing route and would continue to enforce strict border control measures in line with the law and national security requirements.

The spokesman said the spread of such claims risked misleading the public and could form part of a continuing attempt to stir sentiment through false information. He said the navy was tracing the source of the reports and would take legal action against anyone found to have spread false information, while urging the public to check official sources before sharing sensitive claims. 

The latest checkpoint speculation comes against the backdrop of a long-running and 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, and the latest ceasefire was agreed on December 27, 2025, after about 20 days of fighting that killed at least 101 people and displaced more than half a million people on both sides.