The current ASEAN chair, Anwar Ibrahim, says he hopes the ongoing Cambodia-Thailand border dispute will be resolved at the upcoming General Border Committee meeting scheduled for Thursday this week. Malaysia, he added, has also deployed satellite monitoring and ceasefire observers to track the situation between the two countries.
According to Malaysian state news agency Bernama, Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said on August 5 that the defense ministers of both Cambodia and Thailand will attend the meeting for direct discussions aimed at maintaining and reaffirming the ceasefire and ensuring that no further violations occur.
Anwar Ibrahim stressed that the border tensions do not only affect bilateral relations between Cambodia and Thailand but also undermine ASEAN’s credibility. He said Malaysia would continue facilitating dialogue between the two ASEAN member states even though it no longer holds the ASEAN chairmanship.
Anwar Ibrahim noted that despite the situation remaining tense and volatile, it is currently under control. He expressed confidence that several points negotiated under Malaysia’s facilitation could be formally adopted during the meeting on August 7.
The extraordinary session of the Cambodia-Thailand General Border Committee is set to take place on August 7 in Malaysia. This meeting follows a two-day session of the joint Cambodia-Thailand GBC working group, which began on August 4 and is expected to conclude on August 6.
In connection with the border dispute, the Thai Enquirer reported today that Thailand has submitted a detailed ceasefire proposal to Cambodia during the ongoing GBC working group meeting, ahead of the extraordinary GBC session scheduled for Thursday.
On August 4, while the joint GBC working group meeting was underway in Malaysia, Thai military forces deployed armed mobile units into the An Ses area. The convoy was reportedly accompanied by heavy machinery including excavators and barbed wire, moving inside territory claimed by Cambodia despite warnings from Cambodian troops.
The recent escalation began on the morning of July 24, when Thai forces opened fire at the Ta Moan Thom temple area in Oddar Meanchey province. The clashes quickly spread to other areas along the shared border.
Commenting on the situation, Sek Socheat, a development and policy research advisor, said that if Thailand continues to violate Cambodian territory using military force, Cambodia’s best option would be to take the matter to the United Nations Security Council. He suggested requesting the implementation of peacekeeping or enforcement measures, including sanctions and arms embargoes.
