Tourists call off trips to ancient ruins

The number of travellers crossing into Cambodia through Aranyaprathet in Sa Kaew province to visit the world-famous ancient ruins is reported to have slowed to a trickle since the serious border clashes between on Wednesday.

Meanwhile, only about 100 Cambodian traders crossed into Thailand yesterday for business at Rong Klua market, compared to the thousands that usually come over each day.

According to a Cambodian merchant, Poipet market is quieter than Rong Klua, as many Cambodians are worried about the border tension and have moved back to their hometowns.

A Thai immigration official at Aranyaprathet said the number of gamblers heading to the casinos in Poipet had fallen to less than 10 per cent of the normal level. He also warned Thai nationals not to cross into Cambodia through the checkpoint unless it is vital for them to do so.

Pol General Boonsit Wongwai, chief of Pong Nam Ron district in Chanthaburi, said that due to the current uncertainty, Thai casino workers and businessmen in Cambodia's Siem Reap, especially restaurant owners and building contractors, had returned home and many casinos had temporarily closed their doors.

On the aviation front, Thai Airways International president Apinan Sumanaseni said the airline continued to provide normal operations on flights between Bangkok and Phnom Penh and that THAI's office in Phnom Penh remained open.

"THAI stands ready to support the government's request for air transportation [for evacuation of Thai nationals] on this route, if needed. THAI operates twice-daily flights to and from Phnom Penh," he said.

Representatives of Thai AirAsia and Bangkok Airways said both airlines were also operating their Thai-Cambodian services as normal.

Prakit Chinamourphong, president of the Thai Hotels Association, said the association was monitoring the situation but there were no initial reports of the border conflict leading to cancellations of hotel bookings in Thailand.