Situation at the Cham Yeam border post in Koh Kong

Report by Sek Bandith, Radio Free Asia
Video by Uon Chhin

Thai doctors' capture of Khmers to drain blood causing panic among Khmers at Chaim Yeam Pass

Scene of Khmer people fleeing back to Cambodian side after news of Thai doctors capturing Khmers to drain their blood. (Photo: Khun Chang).

Koh Santepheap newspaper
18th February, 2009
Reported in English by Khmerization

Koh Kong: There was panic among Khmers at Chaim Yeam Pass opposite Thailand's Hat Lik checkpoint at around 7:30 in the morning of the 17th February causing many Khmers to flee back into Khmer territories after some of the Khmer people were captured by Thai soldiers and let Thai doctors drain their blood without any reasons.

After the panic, Khmer border immigration officials and military officers went to inquire with the Thai officials. The Thai officials said that it is the work of Thai health officials from Trat province who forced the Khmers who crossed into Thailand to have blood tests to find out who got dengue fever. Whoever got dengue fever will receive free medicines from those health officials.

After panic among Khmer people, the Thai health officials have hurriedly closed down their makeshift office and returned to their base hospital.

Khmer officials said that this Thai action is an insult on the Khmer people because the Thai side did not inform the Khmer border officials of their planned actions. They said, in short, this sort of actions is like the actions of the pickpockets (thieves).

The Khmer officials said that this is the second time that the Thai authority at Chaim Yeam-Hat Lik Checkpoint took actions that are insulting to the Khmers. In 2008, the Thai authority brought sniffer dogs to sniff all Khmers who crossed into Thailand from toes to their heads by forcing them to sit down and raise their hands above their heads.

This second action of the Thai authority cannot be forgiven, they said.

Thai hoodlums harass Cambodians at Koh Kong border crossing

Thursday, 22 May 2008
By Touch Yuthear
The Mekong Times

Thai “gangsters” have been harassing Cambodians crossing the border into Thailand at Koh Kong’s Cham Yeam border crossing, resulting in the crossing’s temporary closure, Cambodian officials have said. The crossing has now reopened after a discussion with Thai authorities.

Sang Sokun, Cambodian Cham Yeam crossing chief, said yesterday that Cambodian authorities had locked the gate at the Cambodian-Thai border May 19 to prevent Cambodians entering Thailand for security reasons after suspicions were raised by a menacing group of “12 Thai gangsters” involved in “irregular activities” on the Thai side of the border.

The 12 Thais behaved rudely, slinging insults at high-ranking Cambodian government officials and normal Cambodians entering Thailand, said Sang Sokun, adding that the group also took photographs of cars carrying senior Cambodian officials.

“After the irregular activities, [border] officials asked permission from the relevant higher authorities to close the border crossing temporarily and requested a meeting with [Thailand’s] Trat provincial governor and other relevant Thai officials to discuss the activities of the Thai group,” said Sang Sokun.

Rin Sopha, a Cambodian border official also present at the meeting, said the Cambodian authorities requested the Thai authorities ban such behavior, otherwise Koh Kong provincial and border authorities would again close the border crossing.

Thai authorities promised to prevent such a situation recurring in future, Rin Sopha claimed.