Thailand announced a raft of security and trade measures to cripple transnational crime syndicates in Cambodia, as Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra seeks an upper hand in a simmering border dispute with its neighbor.
Bangkok will restrict border crossings to Cambodia across seven provinces, and halt exports of goods including fuel that abet transnational criminal activities, Paetongtarn told reporters on Monday after chairing a meeting of officials and security agencies. The Thai army later issued orders to completely shut the permanent border crossings and trade checkpoints.
The crackdown comes in the wake of a political crisis triggered by Paetongtarn’s comments in a leaked phone call with former Cambodian leader Hun Sen, which caused a key party to quit her coalition, reducing its majority in parliament. She has since vowed to deal more firmly with Cambodia in the border standoff.
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