Poipet (Khmer: ប៉ោយប៉ែត, Paôypêt [paojpaet]) is a Cambodian boomtown on the Cambodia/Thailand border, in Poipet Municipality, Banteay Meanchey province. It is a key crossing point between the two countries, and also extremely popular as a gambling destination as gambling is popular, but illegal in Thailand.
Poipet
ប៉ោយប៉ែត | |
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City | |
![]() Poipet skyline | |
![]() ![]() Poipet Location of Poipet, Cambodia | |
Coordinates: 13°39′N 102°34′E | |
Country | ![]() |
Province | Banteay Meanchey |
Municipality | Poipet |
Population (2019)[1] | |
• Total | 98,934 |
• Density | 3,614/km2 (9,360/sq mi) |
Time zone | UTC+07:00 (ICT) |
Poipet is adjacent to the town of Aranyaprathet on the Thai side of the border, the town came into existence only quite recently for the express purpose of border trade, Sisophon had always been the primary urban center in what had been an agricultural area. Poipet's population has increased from 43,366 in the 1998 census to 89,549 in the 2008 census, making it the 4th most populous settlement in Cambodia just ahead of Sihanoukville and larger than its provincial capital Sisophon.[2]
The Poipet border is a terminus of the Cambodia railway system, though in 2006 restoring of a link from Poipet to the present Cambodian Railways railhead at Sisophon was proposed. In the fall of 2008, an agreement was prepared to have an Australian company carry out this work.[3] In 2009, Thailand passed legislation to build extend the railway from Aranyaprathet to Poipet, and in 2018 the railway line has been reactivated.
There is a strip of casinos and hotels between the Cambodian and Thai passport control counters, enabling Thais and other foreigners to gamble in Cambodia without needing to go through Cambodian immigration. In Cambodia, gambling is illegal for Cambodian citizens but not for holders of foreign passports. There is another border on the Cambodian side of this strip area that one needs to pass before being free to travel within the rest of the country.
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Capital: Serei Saophoan | ||
Mongkol Borei District |
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Phnum Srok District |
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Preah Netr Preah District |
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Ou Chrov District |
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Serei Saophoan Municipality (city) |
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Thma Puok District |
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Svay Chek District |
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Malai District |
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Poipet Municipality (city) |
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Cities in Cambodia | ||
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Autonomous municipality | ![]() | |
Municipality cities | ||
District city |
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1,000,000 and more |
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500,000–999,999 |
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200,000–499,999 |
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100,000–199,999 |
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50,000–99,999 |
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