Wall built on Thai-Cambodian border; conflict between the two countries continues

[Bangkok Current Affairs] Thailand is proceeding with the construction of a wall in the border area between Thailand and Cambodia, where a military conflict occurred last year. The wall will be approximately 3.6 meters high and will have a total length of approximately 8.3 kilometers. Even after a ceasefire agreement was reached in December of last year, the two countries continue to be at loggerheads, accusing each other of violating the ceasefire. Border checkpoints have been closed, and the impact on residents' lives is lasting.

The wall will be built in Chanthaburi province in eastern Thailand, which borders Cambodia. On the 10th of this month, the Thai military unveiled to the press a section of the wall that had already been completed (approximately 1.3 km).

Iron fences and barbed wire have been erected on top of the concrete walls, and a Thai military official explained that in addition to preventing military attacks, "the purpose is to prevent illegal activities such as people smuggling and smuggling, and to strengthen border control." The move is said to be aimed at preventing people involved in online fraud from entering the country. Regarding the area where the border is established, he asserted, ``It is a border that has been agreed upon and demarcated by both countries.'' Construction is expected to be completed in the middle of next year.

The protracted conflict has cast a shadow over the lives of people in the border area. This month is the harvest season for the longan fruit, which is widely cultivated in Southeast Asia, in Thailand, but Mr. Rewat (45), a farmer in Chanthaburi province, sighs, saying, ``Cambodian workers who have been working in Thailand cannot travel to Thailand, and the labor shortage is becoming a problem.'' The Thai government announced on the 8th that it has agreed to accept up to 10,000 workers from Sri Lanka in response to the labor shortage.

Heim, 44, who runs a farm in the border area of ​​Chanthaburi province, said part of his farmland was also affected by the wall construction, but he said he was ``accepting the construction'' for safety reasons. On the other hand, he had a long-standing relationship with Cambodians living in the border area, and expressed a complicated expression, saying, ``We have a relationship like brothers.''

The Cambodian government has objected to the wall, calling it ``unilateral construction'' and saying it would affect border demarcation negotiations. According to AFP news agency, more than 20,000 Cambodian residents who evacuated during the military conflict have not yet been able to return home. The government has built more than 3,000 homes for the evacuees, but many say they want to return home.