The tense situation in the border area between Thailand and Cambodia with fierce clashes has forced tens of thousands of people to evacuate. In response to this complicated situation, the Thai government has urgently evacuated more than 100,000 people living along the border area with Cambodia to ensure absolute safety.
The hot spots of the conflict are mainly concentrated around the ancient temples of disputed sovereignty such as Preah Vihear, Ta Moan Thom and Ta Krabey, located close to the border between the two countries. The security situation here is assessed as particularly complicated and dangerous.
Advice to citizens of all countries about the situation at the Thailand - Cambodia border
In response to the crisis, the Royal Thai Army has quickly deployed emergency measures. Several important border crossings have been temporarily closed, and nearby tourist areas have also been shut down to protect the lives and property of residents and visitors.
Faced with the above serious developments, many countries around the world have urgently issued high-level travel warnings to their citizens planning to go to or currently in Thailand and Cambodia.
Earlier, Cambodia-Thailand tensions escalated after five more Thai soldiers were injured by landmines, one of them seriously, in the disputed border area in Ubon Ratchathani province.
In Vietnam, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has promptly issued recommendations. The Consular Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs emphasized that Vietnamese citizens in Thailand and Cambodia need to strictly comply with the regulations of the local authorities and absolutely should not travel to areas with complicated security developments. The recommendations also ask Vietnamese citizens to proactively keep in touch with diplomatic missions in the two countries to update information on the citizen protection situation and receive necessary support in case of emergency.
Vietnamese citizens in the area need to monitor and strictly comply with regulations and instructions of local authorities, including not going to areas with complicated security developments.
Other countries have taken similar steps. The Indian Embassy in Thailand has advised its citizens to stay informed and avoid certain areas near the Thai-Cambodian border. The UK has warned tourists against unnecessary travel to the border area, particularly the risk of unexploded mines around the Ta Krabey and Ta Moan Thom temples. The US Embassy in Thailand has also warned its citizens to stay away from conflict areas. Canada has urged its citizens to exercise extreme caution when approaching the Cambodian border, while Australia has advised avoiding border crossings, which have been closed since 24 June.
Visitors need to keep in contact with representative agencies and embassies.
Currently, all border crossings between the two countries have been closed. Thailand has temporarily suspended tourism activities in the provinces bordering Cambodia such as Ubon Ratchathani, Surin, Sisaket and Buriram. This has caused serious disruptions to independent travel routes, package tours and cross-border trade activities, according to TTW.
In case of needing support and information on citizen protection, citizens can contact the citizen protection hotline.
While major tourist hubs such as Bangkok (Thailand), Siem Reap and Phnom Penh (Cambodia) have not been significantly affected and visitors there have reported only minor disruptions to their itineraries due to increased security, those planning to travel to Koh Chang (Thailand) or visit Angkor Wat (Cambodia) by road should take special care. Cross-border traffic has been completely halted, making it very difficult to travel.
According to Thai media, at least 9 Thai civilians were killed, 14 were injured and about 40,000 people were evacuated from villages near the fighting area. Cambodia has not announced the number of casualties.
Travel experts recommend that tourists should immediately contact the tour operator or insurance company to update related benefits if they intend to postpone or cancel their trip to ensure absolute safety.
