PATTAYA, THAILAND – The Royal Thai Navy firmly denied social media rumours about an imminent reopening of land border crossings to Cambodia, keeping popular visa runs off the table for now.
The dream of quick visa runs collapses
For many German, Austrian and Swiss residents in Pattaya, day trips across the Cambodian border had long been a routine way to renew their Thai stay permits. Travellers used to spend only a few hundred baht on fuel and tolls, then return home two days later.
Since the border closure, this model had already come under pressure. Hopes for an early change were effectively buried on Wednesday when the Royal Thai Navy dismissed talk of a reopening.
Navy: Rumours of reopening are false
A navy spokesperson stated that there was no planned reopening, no corresponding policy and no “acute pressure to act” to ease controls.
Rear Admiral Parach Rattanachaiyaphan described the social media rumours as “completely false”. Reports that Thailand would open “humanitarian supply channels” to Cambodia were labelled disinformation.
What the closure means in practice
There was no route via Chanthaburi or Trat, as the land borders in the provinces of Chanthaburi and Trat remained shut. Controls continued to be strictly enforced under national security laws.
This pushed travellers into alternative routes. Anyone needing to extend their stay could no longer rely on the 2–3 hour trip to Cambodia, but instead had to consider flights to Kuala Lumpur or bus journeys to Laos via Ubon Ratchathani, which were described as costly, exhausting and time‑consuming.
What had once been a quick day trip now turned into a more complex journey involving flights, hotels and at least two overnight stays. According to the source text, this could easily cost 10,000–20,000 baht instead of the previous 500–1,000 baht.
Why the navy held a hard line
The spokesperson also warned that spreading such rumours could confuse the public and might be intended to stir up “sentiments from beyond the border”. Authorities planned to follow up on the matter and take legal action.
A navy source stressed that any decision on reopening the border had to be carefully examined “from all dimensions”, with security as the top priority. Cambodia had not submitted any official request so far.
Signals from Phnom Penh, but no change in Thailand
Earlier reports had suggested that Cambodian Senate President Hun Sen might be ready to signal an opening. The rumour that Thailand would soon follow probably arose from those reports.
However, while Cambodia might be more flexible, Thailand maintained its strict stance. For visa planning, the implication was clear: travellers had to factor in the more expensive options, as the quick border alternative was no longer available.
No official request, no timeline
According to the navy, Cambodia would first have had to submit a formal request through official channels, starting with the border defence command, then the navy, the defence minister and finally the government. This had not happened.
This meant that there was not even an informal process under way. The border therefore remained closed, with no prospect of change in the foreseeable future for those affected.
Planning ahead for visas
For visa management, those staying in Thailand were advised to develop a Plan B. Options included a Malaysia run by air, a longer but cheaper Laos trip by bus, or an early switch to a longer‑term visa such as a Non‑OA retirement visa, marriage visa or an elite membership.
The text concluded that the days of the fast Cambodia day trip were over for now.