Hun Sen clarified that he did not ban Thai or Cambodian people from traveling but requested a temporary suspension of land border crossings due to dangerous border conditions. He expressed regret over good intentions being misinterpreted as malicious.
Hun Sen posted a message on Facebook expressing frustration over misinterpretations of his intentions. He confirmed he did not order a ban on Thai people returning home but only requested a temporary suspension of land border crossings due to unsafe conditions along the border. He urged readers to carefully reread his previous posts, noting his latest message stated the following.
Yesterday, I posted a recommendation to the government that land border crossings by Cambodians and Thais should be temporarily suspended to ensure the safety of both Cambodians and Thais. This may have caused confusion or been seen as provocation by some who think Cambodia is preventing Thais from returning home.
I want to confirm that this suspension applies only to land travel because fighting and violence are occurring along the land border and in some adjacent maritime areas.
Air travel remains unaffected and can continue as usual since there is no fighting at the airports.
For this reason, Thai residents in Cambodia can leave the country by air through Phnom Penh or Siem Reap airports. Those working near the Vietnam border can travel through Vietnam and find ways to return to Thailand.
As for Cambodians who want to return to Cambodia, they must also travel by air on routes that have flights to Cambodia.
I emphasize again that Cambodia has not banned travel for either Cambodians or Thais. The only request is a temporary halt to land travel, which poses a danger to people's lives.
Please review the message I posted yesterday, and please do not misuse my good intentions to protect the lives of both Cambodians and Thais as a basis for criticism like this.
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