Thai PM, former Cambodian leader visit disputed border as tensions simmer

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By Athit Perawongmetha

ARANYAPRATHET, Thailand (Reuters) -Thailand’s prime minister and Cambodia’s influential former premier are visiting different parts of their disputed land border on Thursday as tensions simmer between the two neighbours over a territorial dispute and the Thai government teeters on the brink of collapse.

The deterioration of relations was sparked by brief armed clashes in a border area late last month that left one Cambodian soldier dead.  

What followed were a series of tit-for-tat measures by both countries including troop mobilisations, Cambodia’s suspension of all fuel and gas imports from its neighbour, and the partial closure of checkpoints by Thailand along the 817 km (508 miles) land border.

The conflict has added fuel to a crisis facing Thai Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra, who is battling to revive a faltering economy and scrambling to keep a fragile coalition together in the face of protests as well as a parliamentary no confidence vote.

As she arrived on Thursday morning at the Thai bordertown of Aranyaprathet in Sa Kaeo province, opposite Cambodia’s Poipet, Paetongtarn was greeted by a crowd of supporters, with several of them holding a large sign saying “Love You Prime Minister Paetongtarn”.

The Prime Minister said the purpose of her visit was to survey the ongoing crackdown on transnational crime and gauge the impact of border restrictions, which saw Thailand halting all vehicles, tourists and traders from all land border crossings into Cambodia.

“We want to see the impact from this policy and what the government can do to help, this is our main goal for the visit today,” Paetongtarn said in a meeting with officials.

The Thai Prime Minister earlier this week linked the proliferation of illegal online scam centres to Cambodia, but Cambodian authorities have denied involvement.

Human rights group Amnesty International on Thursday accused Cambodia’s government of “deliberately ignoring” abuses by cybercrime gangs who have trafficked people from across the world, including children, into slavery at brutal scam compounds.

Amnesty said in a report that it had identified 53 scam centres and dozens more suspected sites across the country, including in the capital Phnom Penh.

A Cambodian government spokesman said the country rejected allegations of inaction.

CONTROVERSIAL CALL

At another part of the border, former Cambodian premier Hun Sen on Thursday morning visited troops and officials in Oddar Meanchey province, opposite the Thai province of Surin.  

Local media footage showed Hun Sen, in military fatigues, arriving by helicopter and meeting with officials in the area.

Hun Sen, the president of the country’s senate and father of incumbent premier Hun Manet, still wields enormous clout in Cambodian politics.

The veteran Cambodian politician and the Thai premier until recently enjoyed warm personal ties, helped by the close relationship between Hun Sen and Paetongtarn’s influential father, Thailand’s former premier Thaksin Shinawatra.

But in a leaked phone conversation with Hun Sen, Paetongtarn was heard denigrating a Thai military commander – a red line in a country in which the military holds significant clout – piling political pressure on the Thai government.

The prime minister has since apologised over the leaked call but the incident was used as a justification by the Bhumjaithai party to leave the government coalition last week.

Bhumjaithai said earlier this week that it will seek a parliamentary no confidence vote against Prime Minister Paetongtarn and her cabinet over the leaked call.

Paetongtarn is also facing judicial scrutiny after a group of senators gave the Constitutional Court and a national anti-graft body a wide remit to investigate her conduct. Decisions from either bodies could lead to her removal.

Anti-government groups are also planning a street protest starting Saturday, demanding her resignation.

(Reporting by Panu Wongcha-um; Editing by David Stanway)