Two Cambodian military men, allegedly involved
in smuggling of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) from Thailand into
Cambodia, yesterday blocked the road during a one-hour protest at the
Thai-Cambodian Friendship Bridge opposite Klong Luek checkpoint in
Aranyaprathet against stricter border pass checking by Thailand.
A regulation requiring people driving personal cars into Thai-land to
present their passports came into effect yesterday. But on request from
Cambodia, the checkpoint temporarily let drivers pass if they showed a
border pass with the proper stamp, until Cambodia provides passports to
all after the election.
As 50 cars queued at the checkpoint yesterday, a First Lieutenant and
Second Lieutenant in private clothing from the Poi Pet side blocked the
bridge with a Lexus SUV and a Toyota Camry sedan, both with military
stickers, and walked back, causing a traffic jam.
Cambodian immigration officials located the duo and told their Thai
counterparts to consider the request for Thailand to let cars pass
without stamping on the border pass so the cars could make multiple
entries per day. Cambodian immigration officials managed to clear the
road before having a meeting on the Poi Pet side.
Sa Kaew immigration inspector Pol Lt-Colonel Somsak Jiankorakot
insisted Thailand must maintain the requirement to stamp the pass
properly. A Thai intelligence source said the duo were filling up LPG
from Thailand to sell at cooking gas shops in Poi Pet, hence they needed
to do several trips a day.
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