Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet and Thai Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra have jointly announced a strengthened commitment to tackle cross-border crimes and deepen economic cooperation between their nations.
During a joint press conference on April 23, held as part of Prime Minister Paetongtarn’s two-day official visit to Cambodia (April 23–24), the two leaders declared their unified stance against the use of their territories for online scams and other unlawful activities. Both countries pledged to intensify efforts to prevent criminal groups from exploiting border regions for illegal operations.
Prime Minister Hun Manet highlighted the importance of collaboration in addressing digital and cross-border crimes, stating, “We discussed existing cooperation, including information sharing to combat cross-border crimes such as online fraud, the spread of fake news, human trafficking and the smuggling of counterfeit goods.”
Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra echoed the sentiment, expressing appreciation for Cambodia’s continued cooperation: “I expressed gratitude to Prime Minister Hun Manet for the strong partnership of our police forces in combating online fraud and our continued collaboration to eliminate these criminal networks from the Cambodia-Thailand border region.”
The two leaders revealed that recent joint law enforcement operations have targeted criminal gangs operating online fraud networks in areas such as Poipet in Cambodia’s Banteay Meanchey province. Thai authorities have simultaneously carried out operations along their borders with both Cambodia and Myanmar to disrupt similar activities.
Beyond security, the discussions included plans to strengthen military coordination along the border, facilitate demining efforts, and address transboundary environmental issues. Infrastructure development was also on the agenda, with both sides agreeing to improve land transport links and reduce logistics costs to enhance regional connectivity.
Tourism and labour cooperation were additional focal points. The prime ministers announced measures to ease cross-border travel for tourists and agreed to improve legal frameworks for recruiting Cambodian workers for employment in Thailand.
Economic ties between the two countries are also set for expansion. The leaders set a target to increase bilateral trade to $15 billion by 2027. In 2024, trade between Cambodia and Thailand reached $4.29 billion, marking a 15.5% increase from 2023. Cambodian exports to Thailand rose by 3.3% to $844.9 million, while Thai imports surged by 18.9% to $3.44 billion. Thailand is currently Cambodia’s fourth-largest trading partner, following China, the United States, and Vietnam.
The wide-ranging discussions and agreements reflect a deepening partnership between Cambodia and Thailand, with both nations aiming for sustained cooperation across security, economic, and environmental fronts.
