Thailand considers wall at border with Cambodia

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Thailand is considering constructing a wall along a section of its border with Cambodia to combat illegal crossings, the government announced on Monday.

This comes amid a growing international campaign to dismantle a vast network of illicit scam operations in Southeast Asia.

These scam centres, often located along Thailand's borders with Myanmar and Cambodia, are responsible for widespread financial fraud. The United Nations has reported that criminal gangs have trafficked hundreds of thousands of people into these operations in recent years.

Over the weekend, Cambodian authorities handed over 119 Thai nationals to Thai police following a raid on a scam compound in Poipet. The raid freed more than 215 people.

While the Thai government is exploring the possibility of a border wall, details remain scarce. Government spokesperson Jirayu Houngsub confirmed the proposal is under review, stating, "If it is done, how will it be done? What results and how will it solve problems? This is a study." The spokesperson did not specify the proposed length of the wall.

A spokesperson for Cambodia's government declined to comment on the wall proposal. Its foreign ministry spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Thailand and Cambodia share a border of 508 miles. The Thai defence ministry has previously proposed a wall to block off a 34 mile natural crossing between Thailand's Sa Kaeo province and Poipet, which at present is only protected by razor wire.

Telecom fraud centres have been operating for years in Southeast Asia, ensnaring people of multiple countries as far away as West Africa.

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They have faced heightened scrutiny after the rescue in January of Chinese actor, Wang Xing, who was lured to Thailand with the promise of a job before being abducted and taken to a scam centre in Myanmar.

In Myanmar's Myawaddy, more than 7,000 foreigners - mostly from China - are waiting to cross from into Thailand, which is coordinating with embassies to to try to streamline their repatriations.

Hundreds of foreigners pulled out of the compounds are in limbo in squalid conditions in a militia camp in Myanmar and are struggling to secure a route home, according to some detainees, while a top Thai lawmaker last week said the crackdown is insufficient, estimating 300,000 people have been operating in compounds in Myawaddy alone.