The Royal Thai Army has denied a claim by an opposition MP that soldiers along the Thai-Cambodian border in Sa Kaeo are involved in the illegal smuggling of contraband and migrant workers across the border.
During the censure debate against the government yesterday, Seri Ruam Thai Party MP Wirat Warotsirin accused Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha, who also serves as defence minister, of failing to protect the country's territorial sovereignty.
Mr Wirat alleged that some soldiers from the 1st Army were involved in corruption which took place on Sripen Road along the Thai-Cambodian border in tambon Parai in Sa Kaeo's Aranyaprathet district.
The area is prone to the smuggling of contraband and migrant workers, he claimed while adding that there are 12 border checkpoints in front of the 1206 Army Ranger unit about 5-6 kilometres away from the border.
"At least 1 million baht is thought to be generated daily," Mr Wirat claimed, referring to alleged bribe-taking.
He further said the 1st Army rented 5,000 rai of land in a national forest reserve from the Royal Forest Department.
This allowed the 1st Army to have exclusive control of the land at the expense of local residents who have documents for land use, Mr Wirat said.
"The land is only a few hundred metres away from the border. Therefore, soldiers want the area to become a wilderness to prevent people from accessing it," Mr Wirat said.
"If people are allowed to make use of the land, this will disrupt the smuggling route."
Responding to the accusations, army spokesman Gen Santipong Thammapiya said that people are not allowed to access the border area in question because it remains a disputed area claimed by the two countries.
Several checkpoints have been set up along the border to prevent migrant workers from sneaking across the frontier into Thailand, the army spokesman said.
Regarding the allegations of corruption among some army officers, the spokesman said that the army will form an inquiry panel to look into the matter.
Anyone found guilty would be punished, the army spokesman said.
Gen Santipong also said the army has been granted the land lease to set up villages along the border and distribute land plots to local residents for use temporarily without granting them any land ownership.