Cambodia reduces Thai nationals’ permitted length of stay to seven days

The Cambodian government has cut short stays in Cambodia by Thai nationals to a maximum of seven days, instead of 60.

This is similar to Thailand’s new immigration restriction, which came into effect yesterday, allowing Cambodians to stay in the country for only a week, after which they have to renew their visas or border passes, according to a report by the Khmer Times.

Cambodia’s Fresh News, meanwhile, reports that Cambodian Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, in a letter addressed to his Thai counterpart, Maris Sangiampongsa, urged Thailand to support Cambodia’s proposal to refer their border disputes to the International Court of Justice (ICJ), colloquially known as the “World Court”.

Fresh News also reported that former prime minister Hun Sen has explained to the Cambodian people why Cambodia had to pull its troops back from the disputed areas. In his social media post, Hun Sen wrote that the troop pullback was just an adjustment in the disputed areas, which was necessary to avoid clashes between Cambodian and Thai troops.

He also wrote that the efforts to find a solution to the conflict through negotiation are now bearing fruit, as he urged the Cambodian people to trust the government’s ability to resolve the dispute with Thailand through peaceful means.

Hun Sen reiterated, however, that Cambodia remains steadfast over referring the dispute, over four ancient temples located along the common border with Thailand, to the ICJ.