Villagers and merchants from both sides conducted a brisk business and border trade unfettered by the authorities. Bilateral tensions flared when Thai politics heated up after the September 2006 military coup that overthrew the democratically elected prime minister, Thaksin Shinawatra, on charges of corruption and disloyalty to the monarchy.
但直到最近几年，对这片4.6平方公里主权重合地域的争议还不那么严重。两国的边民和商人们都在当局的许可下进行着繁忙的边境贸易。然而双边关系在2006年9月之后骤然紧张，当时泰国军方发动政变推翻了民选总理他信·西那瓦，指控他贪污腐败并对王室不忠。