Thai soldiers blocked Cambodian vehicles from entering a border checkpoint amid a territorial conflict with neighbouring Thailand.

The Thai army's Burapha Task Force enforced a ban on Cambodian-registered motorbikes, modified motorcycles and pushcarts across five border crossings in Sa Kaeo on Monday, June 23.

Major General Benchapol Dechatiwong na Ayutthaya, commander of the Burapha Task Force, issued the order after Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet announced he was suspending all fuel imports from Thailand effective on Monday.

The army general said the measures were aimed at 'maximising safety in border areas and preventing wrongdoing'. Local media reported that around 1,000 Cambodian motorists were affected by the surprise ban.

Crowds of Cambodian drivers have been scrambling to hoard Thai fuel and bottled water amid the rising border tensions.

Locals from the border town of Poipet filled their tanks with cheaper Thai petrol, with many smuggling it back across the border to store in 200-litre drums in anticipation of prolonged shortages.

Most of the fuel was being used to power generators after Cambodian authorities shut off electricity from Thailand and replaced it with a Vietnamese transmission line. However, residents have complained that the new power supply from their communist neighbour has been unreliable.

Tensions between Thailand and Cambodia escalated after a clash between troops from both countries in a disputed area in Nam Yuen district, Ubon Ratchathani, on May 28, resulting in the death of a Cambodian sergeant.

Thailand expressed its intention to resolve the dispute through existing bilateral mechanisms.

However, Cambodia vowed to take the case before the International Court of Justice in The Hague.

Former Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen and current Prime Minister Hun Manet claimed that the disputed area belongs to Cambodia.

But Thailand maintained that the area is a no-man's land within an un-demarcated zone.