Bangkok: Preparations are underway to bring over 600 Thais back to the country. The Khlong Luek border crossing in Sa Kaeo province is preparing to receive Thai citizens returning home, while Cambodia continues to be difficult and refuses to open the border as scheduled. Thailand has dispatched officials to urgently negotiate.

According to Thai News Agency, this morning, preparations are underway at the Khlong Luek border crossing in Aranyaprathet District, Sa Kaeo Province, to reopen the border to receive over 600 Thai citizens stranded in Cambodia. The atmosphere is tense as the Cambodian side has yet to open the border crossing as previously agreed upon.

Thai security and administrative agencies have deployed personnel and implemented measures to accommodate citizens returning to the country, including facilitating travel, screening, and ensuring security at border checkpoints. A large number of Thais are expected to return. However, the latest situation shows that Cambodia has not yet opened border crossings as agreed, leaving many Thais waiting at the border amidst anxiety and uncertainty.

Thai authorities have reiterated that they will do everything possible to ensure that all Thai citizens can return to the country safely and as quickly as possible, while also emphasizing the use of negotiation as an approach.

While families anxiously await the safe return of their children, closely following the news since this morning, there is still no clarity on when the border crossing will reopen.

Major General Benjapol Dechatiwong Na Ayutthaya, Commander of the Eastern Border Command, has visited the Klong Luek border crossing to closely monitor the situation. He has ordered his troops to prepare to receive Thai citizens who will be deported back to Thailand and to coordinate with relevant agencies, including the local administration, police, and security forces, to ensure safety and facilitate the process for the public. However, as of now, there has been no indication from the Cambodian authorities that the border crossing will be reopened, contrary to earlier reports.