PHNOM PENH: Members of the Asean Interim Observer Team (IOT) departed Phnom Penh on Thursday morning (Aug 14) for a tour of Battambang, Banteay Meanchey and Preah Vihear provinces, where they will assess the implementation of the current ceasefire agreement.
Led by Lieutenant Colonel Nazlee Abdul Rahim, Malaysian military attaché to Cambodia, the team’s members are drawn from Malaysia, Brunei, Indonesia, Laos, Myanmar, the Philippines and Vietnam.
The Cambodian Ministry of National Defence is coordinating their deployment.
According to ministry spokesperson Maly Socheata, the IOT will visit Military Region 5 in Battambang, as well as the An Ses area in Preah Vihear, an area of significant contention.
They will also inspect the Poipet International Border Checkpoint in Banteay Meanchey province, along with the O’Beichoan Checkpoint in Chok Chey village, where Thai soldiers are reported to have surrounded several homes in the village with barbed wire.
The IOT will also visit the Boeung Trakuon Checkpoint area.
Socheata explained that their presence stems from the outcomes of the July 28 special meeting in Putrajaya, Malaysia, and the extraordinary meeting of the Cambodia-Thailand General Border Committee, which concluded on August 7.
“The Defence ministry reaffirms its commitment to implementing the ceasefire agreement and its resolute dedication to international legal principles and the peaceful resolution of disputes,” she said. - The Phnom Penh Post/ANN
