Thai, Cambodian forces to resume previous positions on border
BANGKOK: Thailand and Cambodian forces will return to their previously agreed positions, Thai Defence Minister Phumtham Wechayachai said, following talks on Sunday, after both reinforced their military presence in response to a deadly clash last month. For days, the two governments have exchanged statements, saying they were committed to finding a peaceful resolution after a Cambodian soldier was killed during a clash on May 28 in an undemarcated border area.
On Saturday, the two countries had both reinforced their military presence, but Phumtham said in a statement on Sunday both sides would revert to positions agreed in 2024. He also said both sides hoped the border issue could be fully resolved through a meeting of the Joint Boundary Committee, set up to allow bilateral negotiations, on June 14. Cambodia did not immediately comment following the statement from Phumtham.
Earlier on Sunday, Thailand shortened operating hours at 10 border crossings with Cambodia, citing security concerns. Checkpoints, including the busiest in Thailand's eastern province of Sa Kaeo, halved operating hours to 8 am (0100 GMT) to 4 pm local time, from 6 am to 10 pm, previously, Thai Foreign Ministry spokesperson Nikorndej Balankura told reporters.
Thailand operates 17 official border crossings with Cambodia, spanning seven provinces along their shared 817-km (508 miles) frontier, government data shows. Cambodia's Foreign Ministry reiterated a request to bring the border disputes to the International Court of Justice in a letter to Thai officials on June 6. "Given the complexity, historical nature and sensitivity of these disputes, it is increasingly evident that bilateral dialogue alone may no longer suffice to bring about a comprehensive and lasting solution," Foreign Minister Prak Sokhonn said in the note shared with reporters on Sunday. "A decision rendered by the ICJ, grounded in international law, would offer a fair, impartial, and durable resolution," he said.
The Thai government has said it does not recognise the court's jurisdiction and proposed that all boundary-related issues be resolved through bilateral negotiations. Thailand and Cambodia have for more than a century contested sovereignty at undemarcated points along their shared border.
Tension escalated in 2008 over an 11th-century Hindu temple, leading to skirmishes over several years and at least a dozen deaths, including during a week-long exchange of artillery in 2011. Both governments have enjoyed warm ties, from a close friendship between former leaders, Thaksin Shinawatra from Thailand and Cambodia's Hun Sen. Thaksin's daughter and Hun Sen's son are the incumbent prime ministers of their countries. — Reuters
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