VNA reported that the Thai government is considering a proposal to build a 55km long wall along the Thai - Cambodian border in Aranyaprathet district in Sa Kaeo province to limit human trafficking and drugs.
Thai Defense Ministry spokesman Major General Thanathip Sawangsaeng said on February 13 that the proposal to build a wall had been raised with Deputy Prime Minister and Defense Minister Phumtham Wechayachai during Mr. Phumtham's visit to Aranyaprathet a day earlier.
This proposal was submitted jointly by the police, military officers and the Ministry of Home Affairs as a measure to strengthen efforts to combat human trafficking and drugs along the Thai - Cambodian border.
General Thanathip added that currently, 55 km of the total 165 km of the border with Cambodia is protected by barbed wire fences, while the rest is natural terrain, which could be illegally encroached upon or exploited by human trafficking or drug trafficking crimes across the border.
The local government has proposed building an additional 55 km of walls at sensitive points, supplementing the existing barbed wire fence.
However, Thanathip noted that a comprehensive study is needed to assess the potential impact on the local community and to ensure that the wall is built outside areas with overlapping territorial claims.
