On June 14, Rear Admiral Parat Rattanachaipan, Deputy Spokesperson for the Royal Thai Navy, addressed the situation at the permanent border checkpoints of Ban Laem and Ban Phak Kad in Chanthaburi province. This follows Cambodia's new checkpoint opening and closure measures, which caused a backlog of freight vehicles on both sides of the border.
At the Ban Phak Kad checkpoint in Khlong Yai Subdistrict, Khlong Yai District, 32 Thai cargo trucks had been stranded since the previous day. The Chanthaburi-Trat Border Protection Force coordinated with Cambodian immigration officers, who allowed the trucks to return to Thailand earlier this morning.
Meanwhile, the Ban Laem checkpoint remains closed to cargo vehicles and only allows individual crossings. Thai agricultural pushcarts are currently not permitted to enter Cambodia at this location.
These disruptions resulted from Cambodia’s temporary border closure measures. Since yesterday, the Chanthaburi-Trat Border Protection Force has been in continuous coordination with Cambodian authorities to reopen the checkpoints and ease vehicle congestion. By around 5:00 PM yesterday, Cambodia opened the gates to clear freight traffic from both sides to reduce public inconvenience.