- Photo: The Nation/ANN
BANGKOK: Thailand will inform Cambodia of plans to build a border fence and raise concerns over encroachment at Ban Nong Chan and Ban Nong Ya Kaew during the JBC meeting.
Thai representatives will inform their counterparts at the Joint Boundary Commission (JBC) meeting this week of Thailand’s plan to construct a border fence, the Foreign Ministry spokesman said.
Nikorndej Balankura, director-general of the Department of Information and spokesman for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said the JBC meeting in Chanthaburi from Monday (Oct 20) to Wednesday (Oct 22) will include one discussion item and one notification item to be acknowledged by Cambodia.
Under the latter, Thai representatives will notify their Cambodian counterparts that the Thai government intends to build a border fence along a straight line between two boundary markers in an area both countries recognise as marking “the end of Thai sovereignty.”
Nikorndej stressed that the Thai side would not open the issue for discussion but would simply inform the meeting for acknowledgement.
For the discussion item, Thailand will raise the issue of Cambodian encroachment at Ban Nong Chan and Ban Nong Ya Kaew villages in Sa Kaeo province.
He said the Thai side would urge Cambodia to resolve the encroachment issue promptly and take measures to prevent further violations of Thai territory in the future.
The JBC is a key bilateral mechanism between the two countries to address and resolve border-related issues. Its primary and most technical role is to oversee joint surveys, demarcation, and installation of boundary markers along the land border, based on existing treaties and agreements.
It is distinct from the General Border Committee (GBC), which deals with broader security, military, and cooperative matters along the border.
Nikorndej said the JBC meeting, held from Monday to Wednesday, is crucial as it will serve as a foundation for discussions at the next GBC meeting.
He added that the upcoming GBC meeting will focus on four key issues:
1) Withdrawal of heavy weapons from border areas
2) Clearance of remaining landmines
3) Management of border zones
4) Suppression of transnational crimes
- The Nation/ANN
