Thailand has banned foreign tourists from entering Cambodia, escalating tensions in an ongoing border dispute that has strained diplomatic ties between the two Southeast Asian neighbours.
The ban, which applies to travelers crossing land checkpoints in several Thai provinces as well as flights into Cambodia’s popular resort city of Siem Reap, was announced on Monday.
The Thai military said the measure “matched the current security situation,” following deadly clashes along the border in May that left one Cambodian soldier dead.
Relations between Thailand and Cambodia have deteriorated to their lowest point in over a decade, with both countries imposing retaliatory restrictions.
Cambodia, for its part, has banned a range of Thai imports—including food, electricity, internet services, and even cultural exports like Thai dramas and films.
Thai authorities said exemptions to the travel ban may be granted on humanitarian grounds, including for students and medical patients, pending approval at designated checkpoints.
The military also claimed the restrictions are aimed at curbing illegal scam operations allegedly based in Cambodia.
Thai Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra on Monday reiterated her government’s commitment to cracking down on such scam networks, including suspending internet services used by Cambodian security forces.
The diplomatic fallout has also triggered a political crisis in Thailand.
A leaked phone conversation between Prime Minister Paetongtarn and Cambodia’s former leader Hun Sen—where she referred to him as “uncle” and dismissed a Thai military commander—sparked outrage at home.
Critics accused her of undermining Thailand’s powerful military, leading to the exit of a key coalition partner from her ruling Pheu Thai party.
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