BANGKOK: The Thai military led a team of Asean observers to a border area in Buri Ram province on Sunday (Oct 5) to inspect an alleged encroachment by a Cambodian casino built on Thai soil.
Officers from the Royal Thai Armed Forces and the Second Army Area escorted four military attachés from Brunei, Malaysia, and Singapore to visit the Sai Taku Pass in Tambon Chanthopphet, Ban Kruat district.
The Asean Interim Observer Team (IOT) on the Thai side was led by Kol Samsul Rizal Musa, the military attaché at the Malaysian Embassy in Bangkok.
Thai troops show disputed area and casino construction
Upon arrival, Thai military officers briefed the IOT team using official Thai maps to outline the country’s territory along border markers 24, 25 and 26.
They pointed out a large structure identified as the Sai Taku Resort, allegedly built on Thai soil.
Thai officials told the team that the building operated as a casino and call-centre headquarters, owned by Cambodian businessman Okya Lim Heng, a known adviser to Cambodian Senate President Hun Sen.
Observers briefed on clashes and treaty violations
Thai officials explained that the temporary border crossing at Sai Taku Pass had been closed since June 21, prior to the border clashes on July 24.
The team was shown evidence indicating that Cambodian troops fired BM-21 multiple rocket launchers at Thai communities along the border and at the temporary border-checkpoint office.
Officials also informed the IOT that Cambodia had violated the 2000 Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), which prohibits construction in disputed border areas, by allowing the casino building to be erected in the restricted zone.
IOT inspects damage and holds talks with Thai officers
After observing the damage at the checkpoint office, the observers were shown the gate leading to a local market on the Thai side, about 200 metres from the border line.
The IOT team later held a meeting and discussion with representatives of the Second Army Area in the reception room.
During the visit, several Cambodian motorcyclists were seen riding back and forth across the opposite side of the border, blaring their horns in what Thai officers described as an attempt to disrupt the observation.
Cambodian soldiers were also spotted filming and photographing the IOT team from across the border.
Sai Taku Pass: once a cross-border trading hub
The Sai Taku Pass used to host bustling community markets on both sides of the border.
A temporary crossing once allowed residents to shop and trade freely between the two countries.
The Cambodian market, located about 600 metres from the border, has since been closed due to heightened tensions. - The Nation/ANN
