SA KAEO: Thai border rangers have detained two Cambodian nationals in Aranyaprathet district after discovering images of a ranger checkpoint and natural crossings on their mobile phone, raising concerns over possible espionage.
The arrest took place on Tuesday during a routine patrol by rangers from Ranger Company 1201 under the Burapha Task Force, deployed to prevent illegal cross-border movements along natural routes near Rong Kluea Market.
The patrol team encountered the two men walking along an agricultural track north of the market, near Dong Ngu village in tambon Pa Rai.
They were identified as Ong Sarey, 41, from Banteay Meanchey province, who was carrying an expired border pass, and Sok Salek, 29, from Takeo province, who had no passport but a Cambodian ID card, according to Capt Akhom Mongkhonnam, commander of Ranger Company 1201.
Both claimed they had been working illegally at Rong Kluea Market and were attempting to return to Cambodia on foot.
However, authorities grew suspicious, particularly as Mr Sok is from Takeo, a southern Cambodian province bordering Vietnam and distant from Sa Kaeo.
A search of their belongings, including mobile phones, led to the discovery of photographs stored on Mr Ang’s device showing a ranger checkpoint and natural border crossings in Aranyaprathet district.
The rangers reported concerned that the men could be spies gathering sensitive information. The suspects denied any involvement in espionage, insisting the photos were taken casually. They agreed to have the images deleted.
The unit was, however, not convinced and handed the pair over to investigators at Khlong Luek police station for questioning. Authorities are ro determine the intent behind the photographs and any possible security implications.
The incident came after Cambodia last week strongly rejected an allegation by Thai policitical activist Veera Somkwamkid that members of the elite Bodyguard Headquarters (BHQ) unit of Cambodian Senate President Hun Sen had infiltrated Thailand to conduct espionage, sabotage or assassination plots.
It dismissed the accusation as “false and baseless” and warned that the spread of such information could damage already fragile bilateral relations.
