From left: Gen Ek Sam Oun, Commander of Cambodia’s 5th Military Region, and Lt Gen Amarit Boonsuya, Commander of Thailand’s First Army. Picture courtesy of Thai PBS World

 

In a pivotal meeting held in Aranyaprathet, Thailand and Cambodia have pledged to work together on mine clearance, tackling transnational crime, and resolving border disputes. Lt-Gen Amarit Boonsuya, leading Thailand’s delegation, announced these initiatives as an expansion of the previous 13-point agreement established in a prior GBC meeting in Malaysia.

 

Cambodia was represented by Gen Ek Sam Oun, and both sides reached a consensus to form a coordination group and local-level border committee to address ongoing issues.

 

The agreement includes clearing mines for humanitarian purposes and targeting transnational crimes, like scam call centres. The collaboration will continue to evolve, as these topics are set to be discussed further at the next GBC meeting, although the date is yet to be confirmed. Lt. Gen. Amarit emphasised that the Cambodian Minister of Interior will be the main channel for coordinating with the Thai counterpart on these critical issues, according to Thai PBS World.

 

Regarding border disputes, both parties have agreed to tackle the matter by forming dedicated coordination groups and local-level committees. This move aims to address disputes more effectively at the local level. Lt-Gen Amarit also noted Cambodia's claim that discussions on alleged violations related to MOU 43 fall outside the RBC's purview. However, Thailand has shown intent to resolve these issues by proposing them to the GBC through the Joint Boundary Commission (JBC).

 

Ultimately, this meeting resulted in the signing of a memorandum of understanding with 16 points, incorporating the three new areas of cooperation suggested by Thailand. This marks significant progress since the last GBC meeting and sets a clear path towards addressing critical regional challenges.

 

  Adapted by ASEAN Now from Thai PBS World 2025-08-23

 

Anyone who plants mines are inhuman

At last, common-sense.

Now that you've got that off your chest, what do you think about the article.

Too many agreements that in fact never happened. 🤔

They will use soldiers in their new anti=mine boots, a photo opportunity, a smiling soldier with flame and debris around his undamaged boot.

21 hours ago, hotchilli said:

Anyone who plants mines are inhuman

Now that you've got that off your chest, what do you think about the article.