About 300 workers, including taxi drivers and market vendors, protested in front of the Poipet International Border Checkpoint on Thursday to voice their anger at authorities on both sides of the Thai-Cambodian border.
Among the group’s demands is that Cambodian vehicles be allowed to travel into Thailand’s Sa Kaeo province to buy liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) and foodstuffs, said Den Puthy, director of the Cambodia Informal Economy Reinforced Association, a Banteay Meanchey-based group that advocates for taxi drivers and vendors.
“Thai trucks and cars can travel into every province in Cambodia but Thai soldiers confiscate our [entry] stickers, stop us entering and charge us 1,000 baht [about $31],” said Mr. Puthy.
The Thai junta imposed stricter border and immigration controls after taking power in May, coming down hard on LPG smuggling and ending what ha been a lucrative trade for locals.
The protesters, who rallied for an hour at about 10 a.m., also complained of Cambodian authorities preventing migrant workers returning from Thailand from using moto-taxi drivers, instead making them take buses, Mr. Puthy said.
