IDEA leader says border closure hurts livelihoods on both sides
Border trade has stopped for more than a year, affecting workers and businesses that depend on customers across the frontier.
Thursday 5 November · 14:08 · 1 min read
In 30 seconds
- IDEA president Vorn Pao said Cambodian and Thai communities have both lost income because of the prolonged closure. [1][2]
- Pao said Thai businesses supplying Cambodian customers may face larger commercial losses, including from reduced demand for Thai products. [1][2]
- Cambodian vendors, cart-pullers and farmers have also been affected, while Thailand’s prime minister gave a more positive assessment of economic conditions. [1][2]
What happened
IDEA president Vorn Pao said more than a year of Cambodia–Thailand border closures had disrupted trade and livelihoods on both sides. He argued that Thai businesses supplying goods to Cambodia could lose more overall because they depend on Cambodian customers, while Cambodian traders, transport workers and farmers have also lost work and income. Pao said Cambodian consumers’ boycott of Thai goods had added to the pressure on those businesses. Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul, by contrast, was quoted as saying economic indicators had improved since the crossings closed.
Why it matters
People who relied on daily cross-border work, selling goods or moving cargo have lost sources of income, according to Pao. The reports give no figures for the total losses or a date for reopening the crossings.
Background
Pao said Cambodian vendors who used to trade at Rong Kluea market in Thailand and workers who moved goods by handcart had lost business. Thai Prime Minister Anutin said reopening depended on addressing Thailand’s concerns about territorial disputes, transnational crime and national security, and gave no timetable.
Key terms
- Informal economy
- Work and businesses that are not fully covered by formal registration or regulation.
- IDEA
- The Independent Democracy of Informal Economy Association, which represents informal workers.
- Transnational crime
- Crime involving activity across national borders.
Timeline
- October 31 Anutin said reopening the crossings depended on addressing Thailand’s concerns, according to Thai media cited in the reports.
- November 2 Thai media reported Anutin’s comments and said he gave no reopening timetable.
- November 5, 2026 The Phnom Penh Post and Post Khmer published Pao’s assessment of the economic impact of the closures.
Sources (2)
[1] The Phnom Penh Post IDEA chief: Thai traders losing more from prolonged border closure 5 Nov Read original [2] Post Khmer ប្រធាន IDEA ថា អាជីវករថៃខាតបង់ច្រើនខ្លាំងពីការបិទព្រំដែនអូសបន្លាយពេលកាន់តែយូរ 5 Nov Read originalWas this explainer clear?
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