Shots fired as Thai-Cambodia casino conflict escalates

Shots have been fired as the Thailand military have intercepted casino workers attempting to cross the nation’s border.

Currently Thailand and Cambodia are at loggerheads in a tense conflict that has seen reciprocal acts of hostility. These have affected all parts of each nation’s infrastructure including employment and tourism.

As we reported this resulted in nationwide action by both governments including bans on border crossings, curfews and a host of tit-for-tat acts to frustrate one another.

According to the Pattaya Mail, the Thai military have arrested twenty-three individuals as part of a patrol operation. The sting took place in Aranyaprathet, a town in the Se Kaeo province in eastern Thailand.

The town has a strategic importance for those hoping to gain work in Cambodia as it sits close to the border and the city of Poipet, which is the gambling heart of the nation.

Aptly named “Sin City” Poipet hosts eight casinos that turn a heavy profit and gives Cambodia a hefty tax and tourism boon. Both avenues are crucial to the country and that of bordering Thailand. The neighbouring nation provided a steady stream of Cambodia’s casino workforce, until the escalations began in early June.

The Pattaya Mail reported that “Burapha Task Force spotted the group at a natural crossing in Ban Saensuk, Khlong Nam Sai subdistrict, just 300 meters from Sri Phen Road. As officers approached, three gunshots were heard. Authorities responded by firing a warning shot into the air to control the situation.”

A smuggler known only as Mr Krai, a 38-year-old from Sa Kaeo was wounded in the exchange and taken to hospital shortly after twenty two individuals, eight men men and fourteen women, were taken into custody by the task force.

The newspaper also revealed that those apprehended had been part of two groups, reporting that some were “online casino employees from the Sango building in Poipet who were trying to re-enter Thailand to update visa documents but were blocked due to stricter border controls. The second group had paid smugglers 2,500–5,000 baht each to illegally cross into Cambodia to begin work in online gambling operations.”

Featured image: Pixlr AI-generated

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