Thai Prime Minister Anutin said on October 31 that border crossings between Thailand and Cambodia would remain closed, with no specific reopening date set, Thai PBS reported that day.
Speaking on the television programme “Talk with Anutin’s Cabinet”, broadcast that day, Anutin said several issues remained to be resolved between Thailand and Cambodia, including land border disputes, maritime interests, telecoms and online scams, and the safety of Thai citizens. Thailand had no plans for the time being to restore bilateral relations to their previous level until clear progress was made on these issues.
Anutin stressed that Thailand would put national interests first when considering the resumption of border crossings and the normalisation of bilateral relations, while assessing border security and other relevant conditions.
He also said the border closure helped prevent illegal goods and agricultural products from entering Thailand and combat transnational criminal networks.
Discussing the economic impact of the closure, Anutin claimed that some Thai economic indicators had improved since the measures were introduced and that the public was satisfied with the current policy. The report, however, provided no specific data.
Anutin concluded that the Thai government would not readily change its current policy because of political pressure. When the border reopens will continue to depend on progress in resolving the relevant issues.
