BANGKOK (Reuters) -Thailand shortened operating hours at 10 border crossings with Cambodia, citing security concerns, as tensions between the two countries simmered after a deadly clash last month.
A day earlier, both the Southeast Asian countries reinforced their military presence along disputed border areas, Thailand’s defence minister said.
The two governments have exchanged statements, saying they were committed to finding a peaceful resolution after a Cambodian soldier was killed during a clash on May 28 in an undemarcated border area.
Checkpoints, including the busiest in Thailand’s eastern province of Sa Kaeo, halved operating hours to 8 a.m. (0100 GMT) to 4 p.m. local time, from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m., previously, Thai Foreign Ministry spokesperson Nikorndej Balankura told reporters on Sunday.
Thailand operates 17 official border crossings with Cambodia, spanning seven provinces along their shared 817-km (508 miles) frontier, government data shows.
“These are no immediate closure orders at border checkpoints. Rather, they are gradual and appropriate to the circumstances in specific areas,” he said, adding the situation along the border remained calm.
Residents near the Aranyaprathet-Poipet crossing in Sa Kaeo said the atmosphere was calm.
“It surprised people a bit, but shops stayed open and most locals crossed back normally,” said a staff member at Manue Home Stay, who gave his name only as Rong.
Cambodia’s Foreign Ministry reiterated a request to bring the border disputes to the International Court of Justice in a letter to Thai officials on June 6.
“Given the complexity, historical nature, and sensitivity of these disputes, it is increasingly evident that bilateral dialogue alone may no longer suffice to bring about a comprehensive and lasting solution,” Foreign Minister Prak Sokhonn said it the note, shared with reporters on Sunday.
“A decision rendered by the ICJ, grounded in international law, would offer a fair, impartial, and durable resolution,” he said.
The Thai government has said it does not recognise the court’s jurisdiction and proposed that all boundary-related issues be resolved through bilateral negotiations, with talks scheduled for June 14.
Thailand and Cambodia have for more than a century contested sovereignty at undemarcated points along their shared border, which was mapped by France in 1907 when Cambodia was its colony.
Tension escalated in 2008 over an 11th-century Hindu temple, leading to skirmishes over several years and at least a dozen deaths, including during a week-long exchange of artillery in 2011.
Both governments have enjoyed warm ties, from a close friendship between former leaders, Thaksin Shinawatra from Thailand and Cambodia’s Hun Sen. Thaksin’s daughter and Hun Sen’s son are the incumbent prime ministers of their countries.
(Reporting by Chayut Setboonsarng and Panu Wongcha-um, Editing by Barbara Lewis)
