Thailand – Cambodia border checkpoint overwhelmed ahead of Songkran

The Poipet International Border Checkpoint between Thailand and Cambodia is so busy ahead of the Songkran – or the Southeast Asian New Year – that Thai authorities have needed to open a second checkpoint nearby to ease congestion.
Like Thailand, Cambodia is celebrating the Buddhist New Year this weekend. In Cambodia, the vacation is called “Moha Sangkranta” and might be celebrated from Friday 14-15 this 12 months.
Thousands of Cambodian migrant staff who wish to return house for the holidays are applying for re-entry permits on the Thai side of the border, to permit them to return to Thailand after the festivities are over, reports the Khmer Times.
Chief of Immigration on the Khmer facet, Brigadier General E Chamroeun, said that the Thais have knowledgeable him that the congestion is as a outcome of the Thai immigration officers solely have one scanner on the Poipet checkpoint to course of and issue re-entry permits.
Cambodian migrant employees have been lining up for re-entry permits since Monday, added the chief.
To velocity up the queues, the Thai authorities are sending migrants to a second location equipped with a scanner in the Aranyaphrathet district of Sa Kaeo province.
Once their documents have been checked and a re-entry allow has been issued, officials are taking the migrants again to the Poipet checkpoint for immigration to check their passports and allow them to enter Cambodia to rejoice the new 12 months.
Cambodian authorities are offering food packages and water for migrants upon arrival in Poipet after they have waited for hours within the sweltering summer time warmth, stated the chief.
Meanwhile, Well respected mentioned the Thai-Khmer checkpoint in Battambang, which additionally crosses into Thailand’s Sa Keao province, is not going through delays and is working as traditional.
Just a three.5 hour drive away from Bangkok, the Poipet checkpoint is a well-liked visa-run location for vacationers looking to buy some more time in Thailand by exiting and reentering the country.
Beyond the immigration office on the Khmer facet lies an otherwise unspectacular-looking city municipality that transforms into a glittering, neon-lit gamblers’ Disneyland after dark.
In Cambodia, gambling is in opposition to the law for Cambodian nationals but not for foreigners. Therefore, a dozen casinos have been inbuilt Poipet – specifically for the Thai market – for Thai prospects (and different non-Cambodian gamblers) who cross over the border to gamble legally, since most types of gambling are illegal in Thailand..