Southeast Asia Information Port (www.dnyxxg.com) reported on July 7th that a large-scale protest erupted at the Longko Market in Sa Kaeo Province, Thailand. A large number of local residents gathered, strongly demanding that the Thai military reopen the Cambodian-Thai border crossing, which had been closed for approximately one month. The border closure has led to continued economic hardship in the region, putting immense pressure on residents' livelihoods.
The protesters were reportedly highly emotional, chanting slogans and urging the Thai authorities to lift the lockdown measures as soon as possible. They held banners that read: “Your Excellency, we understand and respect your position, but please pay attention to the people in the border region. We are starving and struggling for survival. Do you really understand our situation? What exactly happened? Why have we been unable to resolve the root cause of the problem? We have good trade relations with Cambodia and Vietnam; are we just going to watch all of this crumble and fall apart?”
The core demand of this protest is for the Thai government and military to reopen the border crossing to Cambodia to restore normal people-to-people exchanges and trade activities between the two countries. According to statistics, since the Cambodian-Thailand border was closed for about a month, Thai businesses bordering Cambodia have suffered economic losses exceeding $300 million. Residents and vendors in the border region are eagerly awaiting the reopening of the border to alleviate the increasingly severe economic pressure and revitalize the local economy.
