Phnom Penh on November 25 asked Bangkok to allow 3,000 Cambodians to cross the border into Thailand in their daily commute to work, and proposed reopening crossings along their shared frontier.

The request was made by Banteay Meanchey and Battambang provincial governors Um Reatrey and Sok Lou during a meeting with Parinya Phothisat, their counterpart in Thailand’s Sa Kaeo, which borders precisely the two Cambodian provinces.

The meeting was held in Sa Kaeo’s Aranyaprathet district, across from Banteay Meanchey’s Poipet town, in a bid to strengthen cooperation and friendship.

The two sides discussed reopening border crossings such as Poipet, Malai and Boeung Trakuon in Banteay Meanchey and Kilometre 13 in Battambang’s northwesternmost Sampov Loun district, the interior ministry said on November 26.

It noted that Kilometre 13 is across from the Khao Din border checkpoint in Sa Kaeo’s Khlong Hat.

“The Cambodian side requested that 3,000 Cambodians be allowed into Thailand for work and to return home in the evening. They could enter at 6am and return by 10pm.

“A total of 300 cart pullers should be allowed entry once, and all of them obliged to follow health measures. Migrant workers with border passes should be permitted to work on farms in Thailand along the borders for three months,” it said.

The ministry noted that all parties agreed on the proposals but that approval from both prime ministers would be required.