Cambodia has hit back at Thai Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra’s recent claims regarding the cutting of energy supplies between the two nations.
On Monday, June 23, Paetongtarn accused Cambodia of cutting off electricity, Internet, and oil and gas supplies to Thailand to combat cross-border crimes. However, Cambodia’s government spokesperson has labelled these claims as “irrational,” asserting that it was Cambodia that had already halted these supplies, not Thailand.
The Thai premier’s statement suggested that her government had imposed drastic measures to curb criminal activities across the border.
“The measures include border closures, cutting Internet and electricity, and freezing over 680,000 bank accounts linked to illegal activities.”
The Thai government also imposed restrictions on border crossings in seven Thai provinces that share a border with Cambodia, citing an effort to limit criminal movements, with exemptions for specific cases like students and medical patients.
In addition to this, the prime minister revealed that Thailand had stopped foreign tourists from travelling to border areas to gamble, with tighter controls also enforced on flights to Siem Reap. Moreover, she claimed Thailand had halted the export of products, including fuel, to support criminal activities in Cambodia.
Paetongtarn’s actions follow a letter from UN Special Rapporteurs on contemporary forms of slavery and human trafficking, which called on Thailand to clarify its role in combating online scams.
However, yesterday, June 24, Cambodian spokesperson Pen Bona responded firmly.
“Cambodia acknowledges the existence of online scams and has implemented strong measures to suppress them.”
Bona confirmed that the Cambodian government had set up a committee led by the country’s prime minister to tackle such issues. He added that while Cambodia had taken serious steps to address online crime, it had also become a victim of such operations.
Bona accused Thailand of deflecting responsibility and shifting the blame onto Cambodia.
“Cambodia has never denied the presence of online scams, but the evidence of these crimes lies in Thailand.”
The Cambodian government even pointed out Thailand’s crackdowns on scams, which had been addressed within its borders.
In a pointed response to Paetongtarn’s remarks, Bona dismissed them as “laughable” and questioned whether the 38 year old Thai prime minister had overlooked the fact that Cambodia had already stopped using Thai Internet and electricity supplies.
He pointed to specific actions Cambodia had taken, such as cutting Thai Internet and electricity supplies on June 12, banning Thai fruit and vegetable imports on June 17, and halting oil and gas imports on June 22, reported The Nation.
With tensions rising, both countries are now at odds over the management of cross-border crime and the regional impact of these contentious claims.
The story Cambodia hits back at Thailand’s ‘irrational claims’ over energy cuts as seen on Thaiger News.
