Buri Ram locals block Veera's Cambodia border trip

Buri Ram locals block Veera's Cambodia border trip

Locals block visit, fear rise in border tension

Buri Ram residents blocked the entrance to Mr Veera's hotel so that he could not get to the Cambodian border. (Photos FB/Veera-Somkwamkid)
Buri Ram residents blocked the entrance to Mr Veera's hotel so that he could not get to the Cambodian border. (Photos FB/Veera-Somkwamkid)

Buri Ram: Anti-corruption activist Veera Somkwamkid yesterday called off plans to go to a Buri Ram border checkpoint to see whether a casino sits on Thai or Cambodian soil.

He called off the trip to the Chong Sai Taku border post shortly after vendors and residents from Ban Kruat district blocked the entrance to the resort he was staying in with trishaws.

They wanted Mr Veera to cancel his "inspection" because they did not want to see Thailand embroiled in a fresh border conflict with neighbouring Cambodia.

They said they did not want to have to run and hide because of Thai and Cambodian soldiers exchanging fire.

The border situation is calm, so the last thing they want is someone stirring up unrest, they said, adding their protest was not at the instigation of the government.

"I have had to halt my trip temporarily. But I confirm that I will continue to look into whether this casino is built on an overlapping area between Thailand and Cambodia or not," Mr Veera said after talking to the protesters.

He denied his trip would stoke cross-border tensions.

Mr Veera made the claim that the casino could be in Thailand based on aerial photographs and a map of the border areas examined by experts.

He insisted he had received complaints from people who believed the casino is located in an area where questions over sovereignty still exist.

The casino in question is still under construction and is scheduled to open on April 7, he said.

The unnamed casino is undergoing last-minute preparations for an April 7 opening.

Mr Veera said he would contact authorities responsible for overseeing the Chong Sai Taku border checkpoint again and seek permission to visit the area soon.

The anti-corruption activist said he was still unconvinced by Deputy Prime Minister Prawit Wongsuwon's assurances on Tuesday that the soon-to-open casino was on Cambodian soil.

Mr Veera said he believed yesterday's protest outside the resort he was staying in was stage-managed, but declined to say by whom.

Gen Prawit, who also serves as defence minister, said his information regarding the casino's location came from a report from the commander of the 2nd Army Region which oversees that part of the country.

However, if the casino was found to be sitting on Thai soil it must be demolished, he said earlier.

Gen Prawit, along with senior military officers, yesterday attended the 12th General Border Committee (GBC) meeting in Cambodia's Siem Reap which ends today.

The deputy prime minister said he had been briefed about the protest and Mr Veera cancelling his planned trip to the border.

He said he and the army had no prior knowledge of the local protest to prevent Mr Veera going to the border area.

The villagers appeared to be concerned about maintaining a peaceful existence, he said.

"Local people understand what this situation is," Gen Prawit said.

Talking about the 12th GBC meeting, Gen Prawit said the issues for discussion were to focus on border security and ties between the Thai and Cambodian armies.

The casino was not on either side's agenda.

Mr Veera is no stranger to cross-border controversy. In 2011 he was sentenced to eight years imprisonment by a Cambodian court after being arrested along with six other Thais for illegal entry and espionage.

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