Picture courtesy of Naewna

 

A potential closure of five vital border checkpoints between Thailand and Cambodia could result in monumental financial losses. The Customs Department estimates that closing these gates could impact trade worth a staggering 174.53 billion baht, according to reports from TV Channel 7 and Daily News.

 

Chief among the trade crossings at risk is the Aranyaprathet checkpoint in Sa Kaeo province, which handled over 110 billion baht of commerce with Cambodia last year.

 

The other checkpoints, Khlong Yai in Trat province, Ban Laem in Chanthaburi province, Chong Chom in Surin province, and Chong Sangam in Si Sa Ket province, collectively accounted for tens of billions more. Crucially, the closure of Aranyaprathet alone would slash over 60% of the total trade value between the two nations.

 

This potential disruption threatens to reroute goods, starve industries of raw materials, and diminish investor confidence. The backdrop to this economic risk is a legal tussle at the international level.

 

The government of Cambodia has lodged a letter with the International Court of Justice over three contentious temples and the Mombei area, as noted by the Phnom Penh Post.

 

The letter concerning the border dispute was sent by Cambodia's Minister of Foreign Affairs, Prak Sokhonn, aiming to address issues regarding the Mombei area and the temples Ta Muen Thom, Ta Moan Tauch, and Ta Khwai.

 

Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet asserts that Cambodia is committed to resolving the border issues legally through the Court of Justice, as underscored in a recent social media statement.

 

The situation remains tense as both nations seem poised for a legal showdown over these historic and strategically significant sites. Meanwhile, the potential economic repercussions from border trade interruptions loom large, highlighting the intricate balance between historical disputes and modern commerce.

 

  Adapted by ASEAN Now from The Thaiger 2025-06-17

 

 

Thailand needs to tread very carefully, it will be the final loser if this gets out of hand.

Anyone else get a feeling this is boiling over just enough for  public concern to reach a certain point then a certain ex pm will go to Cambodia and meet his influential friends over the border then return a hero and things return to normalcy 

The worst possible outcome is that the Generals get gung-ho and start beating their chests calling the shots. 
They are not going to be the ones in the front line. That’ll be the job of someone’s sons. 
All this bluster over a temple on a hill. 

4 hours ago, Thumbs said:

Anyone else get a feeling this is boiling over just enough for  public concern to reach a certain point then a certain ex pm will go to Cambodia and meet his influential friends over the border then return a hero and things return to normalcy 

Highly probable,

Haven't we seen this movie before ?

If they shutter the borders, what will that mean for next high season and those coming for 4 to 6 months on METV's needing to do border runs? I come for 5.5 months each winter and need to do 2 visa runs each year. It would be great to see if they changed this in some way to eliminate the need to do visa runs to the border every 60 days, perhaps with a couple of 60 day extensions instead.