Thailand’s acting Prime Minister says he will provide additional funding for the Second Army Region Commander, Boonsin Padklang, to defend what he described as national sovereignty, which Thailand claims is being encroached upon by Cambodia.
According to Thai news outlet Khaosod, Phumtham Wechayachai said on Thursday that protecting national sovereignty is the most urgent priority and that the military should receive whatever it needs from all available sources.
The remarks come amid reports that Thai troops have been laying barbed wire inside Cambodian territory despite a recently agreed ceasefire.
Cambodian Defence Ministry spokesperson Maly Socheata told reporters that on August 12 and 13, Thai paratroopers and border patrol forces, armed with weapons, entered the area opposite Chouk Chey border gate and laid barbed wire and vehicle barricades in Chouk Chey village, O’Beichoan commune, Ou Chrov district, Banteay Meanchey province, inside the operational area of Cambodia’s Fifth Military Region.
She called on Thailand to immediately and unconditionally end all activities that violate the ceasefire and the spirit of the Extraordinary General Border Committee meeting.
Several Cambodian residents in Prey Chan village stated in a video posted by opposition New Generation Party leader Meach Sovannara that on the afternoon of August 13, at approximately 3:30 p.m., Thai troops surrounded their homes in Prey Chan village, O’Beichoan commune, Ou Chrov district, Banteay Meanchey province.
Speaking a day earlier at a United States Independence Day event in Malaysia, US Ambassador to Malaysia Edgard D. Kagan urged both Thailand and Cambodia to refrain from provocative actions or statements that could undermine the ceasefire.
Edgard D. Kagan said he did not wish to take sides or assign blame but called on both countries to take appropriate steps to ensure that military and civilian personnel respect the agreement.
The ceasefire, which took effect on July 28, was followed by a General Border Committee agreement on 13 measures. These included a pledge not to expand troop deployments, adherence to international law on prisoners of war, a follow-up General Border Committee meeting within one month, a Regional Border Committee meeting, and other steps to reduce tensions.
