Authorities in Cambodia’s Battambang province and bordering Chanthaburi of Thailand have vowed to step up collaboration to crack down on crime along the shared frontier, with a focus on drugs, to maintain security and spur economic growth in the area.
The pledge came at a February 16 meeting between the Battambang and Chanthaburi provincial administrations.
New Chanthaburi governor Monsit Paisarnthanawat sees the meeting as impetus to the strengthening of bilateral cooperation, reaffirming the desire of his province’s authorities to work with their Battambang counterparts in a variety of areas, including the crackdown of border crime, such as drug-related offences.
Monsit reassured that Chanthaburi authorities will continue to intervene when Cambodia workers in Thailand encounter problems.
Battambang provincial governor Sok Lou contended that joint efforts to promote mutual understanding and friendships between the two provinces have stimulated economic growth in border areas.
Between 2018 and 2022, the Battambang Provincial Administration logged 6,020 people held or arrested in relation to 3,698 drug-related crime cases, as well as 1,021 more linked to 727 additional cases under the “general crimes” category, out of a total 778 – of which 605 or 77.8 per cent of them were classified as misdemeanours.
