Travel warning: Thailand bans tourists from crossing land borders into Cambodia

Published on 24/06/2025 - 16:10 GMT+2

Travellers successful Thailand person been blocked from crossing complete into Cambodia amid an escalating separator dispute.

The restrictions use to immoderate conveyance aliases personification trying to participate Cambodia from checkpoints crossed respective Thai provinces, arsenic good arsenic overseas visitors flying into Siem Reap.

Relations betwixt nan 2 Southeast Asian countries person deteriorated pursuing an equipped confrontation connected 28 May successful which 1 Cambodian worker was killed successful a comparatively small, contested territory.

Tourists successful Thailand banned from crossing separator into Cambodia

Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra said connected Monday that Thailand will boost screening astatine onshore borders and artifact departing tourists.

Only students, aesculapian patients and others who request to acquisition basal equipment will beryllium allowed to participate aliases time off Thailand for Cambodia, meaning thousands of travellers are having to rethink plans.

She said nan measures were aimed astatine stopping group heading toward Cambodia’s “lucrative casinos”, but it appeared that each visitors would beryllium blocked from crossing nan border.

The Thai service said successful a connection later connected Monday that it had implemented nan measures astatine each onshore separator checkpoint betwixt Thailand and Cambodia successful 5 provinces, and that it was stopping each crossings isolated from for group pinch basal needs.

Paetongtarn added that overseas visitors will besides beryllium banned from taking flights from Thailand to nan celebrated Cambodian edifice municipality of Siem Reap, nan closest airdrome to nan famed Angkor Wat temple complex.

The authorities has not indicated erstwhile restrictions will beryllium lifted, and aviation authorities are bracing for a perchance lengthy impasse.

The UK’s Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office FCDO has issued a informing to travellers.

“Take other attraction and enactment alert successful separator areas and travel nan instructions of section authorities, particularly astatine tourer destinations specified arsenic nan Preah Vihear temple, nan Ta Kwai temple and nan Ta Muen Thom temple. There are besides unexploded landmines successful nan separator area. Stay connected marked paths particularly astir Ta Krabey.”

Thailand calls retired scam networks luring overseas tourists

The Thai authorities says nan caller restrictions are not only a governmental consequence but besides a move to ace down connected forbidden operations based successful Cambodia.

Thailand’s subject leaders person accused transnational scam operations - pinch Cambodia functioning arsenic a hub - of exploiting separator loopholes and online networks to lure victims, including overseas tourists.

They opportunity scammers entrap victims done mendacious romanticist ploys, bogus finance pitches and forbidden gambling schemes.

Cambodia, for its part, has boycotted immoderate Thai net services and blocked energy and substance supplies from Thailand successful consequence to nan separator dispute.