Cambodian-Thai border reopened

SA KAEO: -- The Cambodian border opposite the Thai border district of Klong Hard in Sa Kaeo province reopened on Sunday.

The border had been closed briefly on Saturday, after complaints by Cambodian border officials that their Thai counterparts had searched people for narcotics.

Cambodian border officials ordered people not to cross the border after Thai soldiers, police and civil officials set up a check-point to search for drugs being smuggled into the country from Cambodia.

The checkpoint was about 200 meters away from the border.

The border was reopened after negotiations between Thai and Cambodian customs officials.

During the negotiations, the Cambodian officials complained that they had not been notified in advance that the narcotics check-point was being set up with trained dogs used to sniff Cambodian women who had crossed the Thai border, commander of Burapha Task Force, Col. Chavalit Salitid, said.

The women felt embarrassed and later reported the incident to Cambodian customs officials.

Col. Chavalit said he had informed the Cambodian officials that it was Thai government policy to search and destroy all illegal narcotics.

In the past officials had seized a large amount of methamphetamine smuggled across this border area with Cambodia.

Trained dogs were used in the search because there was no female official in the unit.

--TNA 2005-03-27

Translation:

The Cambodian border guards had not paid the Thai border guards enough this month to turn a blind eye to smugglers, so the Thai border guards turned around and did their job properly.

Translation:

can we please stop this nonesense, we are loosing tons of money from farang doing border hoping.