Prime Minister of Thailand: Thailand-Cambodia border will not be reopened for the time being, pending resolution of territorial and security issues

(Central News Agency reporter Li Zongxian, Bangkok, 1st) The border between Thailand and Cambodia continues to be closed. Thai Prime Minister Anutin said yesterday that there are still many disputes between Thailand and Cambodia that need to be resolved, and it is currently impossible to determine when the border will be reopened. He also emphasized that national interests and security should take precedence over political considerations.

Anutin Charnvirakul said in a TV program yesterday that there are still many unresolved issues between Thailand and Cambodia, including land borders, maritime disputes, cross-border fraud issues, and the safety of the Thai people, so it is currently impossible to predict when the border will be reopened.

"Until these issues are resolved, relations between the two countries cannot return to their past state," Anutin said.

Since June last year, the Thai-Cambodian border has been completely closed. Seven border checkpoints and passages between the two countries have been closed, and the movement of people and goods has been restricted.

The Bangkok Post reported today that Anutin said that the Thai government would not sacrifice national interests for political considerations and that illegal imports, agricultural trade concerns, combating cross-border criminal networks and national security issues must be addressed before the borders can be reopened.

Anutin pointed out that since the border closure, Thailand's economic data has improved, and the people also have a positive attitude towards this measure. He said that Thailand can still talk to Cambodia, but there is still a lot of work that must be completed before bilateral relations can return to past levels.

Thailand and Cambodia share an 817-kilometer land border. There are sovereignty disputes in many places. The two sides have been arguing for more than a century. The most intense conflicts are concentrated in and around the thousand-year-old Privich Temple.