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 fourth most populous settlement in Cambodia just ahead of Sihanoukville and larger than its provincial capital Sisophon. During the Pol Pot Era, Poipet was the first place in Cambodia for International Relief Organisations, to support the nearby Thai Border Camps. UN staff were able to freely cross the Border. In the years since 2008, Poipet has continued to boom both as a large Town but as a key gateway from and to Thailand.
Poipet is a city famous for its gambling and casino center in Cambodia. This attracts many foreigners to come here. The largest number of foreigners here are Indonesians, most of whom work in casinos and as online gambling admins. Indonesian restaurants and food stalls are easy to find here. Then also Chinese (8,000 people) and Thai citizens can be found here.
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.
[caption id="attachment_151377" align="aligncenter" width="590"] Lappeenranta Harbour - Photo by Petritap[/caption][responsivevoice_button voice="UK English Female" buttontext="Listen to this Post"]Lappeenranta is a city and municipality that resides on the shore of the lake Saimaa in South-Eastern ...
