Thailand and Cambodia meet for talks to ease simmering border tensions
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A royalist activist holding a Thai flag as he protested in front of the Royal Embassy of Cambodia, following a recent clash at the Thailand-Cambodia border on May 28.
PHOTO: REUTERS
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BANGKOK/PHNOM PENH – Thai and Cambodian officials met on June 14 to try to ease tensions amid fears of military clashes after a long-running territorial dispute reignited, leading both countries to mobilise troops on the border.
The two neighbours share an 820km land border, parts of which are undemarcated and include ancient temples that both sides have contested for decades. The latest stand-off followed a brief skirmish on May 28 that left a Cambodian soldier dead.
“The Thai government hopes to use the platform to resolve the situation peacefully,” Thai Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra posted about the meeting on her Facebook page on June 13.
The row comes at a challenging time for Thailand’s government, which is losing popularity in a prolonged struggle to spur economic growth. Ms Paetongtarn’s administration is under pressure to take a tougher stand on Cambodia, accompanied by initially strong rhetoric from the Thai military.
Thailand’s Foreign Ministry said the meeting of the Joint Boundary Commission (JBC) in Phnom Penh would continue into June 15 and the atmosphere of the talks had been good.
“Thailand sincerely hopes that it would further contribute to de-escalating the tensions, paving the way for a sustainable solution in the future,” spokesperson Nikorndej Balankura told a press conference in Bangkok.
Cambodia’s Information Ministry said it would not comment until after the meeting concludes.
Resolution unlikely
Despite both countries pledging dialogue to handle the issue and to calm nationalist fervour, Bangkok has threatened to close the border and cut off electricity supplies to its neighbour.
Phnom Penh announced it would cease buying Thai electric power, internet bandwidth and produce. It has also ordered local television stations not to screen Thai films.
Resolution unlikely
A resolution this weekend at the JBC meeting in Phnom Penh is not expected, and it was unclear when the outcome would be announced.
Cambodia is determined to file a case at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) to determine jurisdiction over four disputed areas, while Thailand insists on a bilateral solution.
“Cambodia wants to settle the disputes at the ICJ, something that Thailand won’t accept,” said Associate Professor Dulyapak Preecharush, a South-east Asian studies expert at Thammasat University in Bangkok.
“So there’s not much left to discuss at JBC apart from maintaining an atmosphere for further dialogue.”
Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet on June 13 said his country would not discuss the four contested areas at the boundary commission, adding the government would send an official letter to the ICJ on June 15 on its plan to file the case.
Influential former strongman premier Hun Sen, Mr Hun Manet’s father, has criticised Thailand’s military for restricting border crossings and has accused generals and Thai nationalists of fanning the tensions.
“Only extremist groups and some military factions are behind these issues with Cambodia because, as usual, the Thai government is unable to control its military the way our country can,” he said late on June 12. REUTERS
