The Foreign Minister Sihasak Phuangketkeow said negotiations with Cambodia on border issues will have to wait until a new Thai government takes office, delaying potential discussions under the Thailand–Cambodia Joint Boundary Commission (JBC). The announcement followed Tuesday’s Cabinet meeting on 10 March 2026. The delay means any formal talks on boundary demarcation and related issues cannot proceed immediately.

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Sihasak said Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet had posted that talks on the return of certain border areas between the two countries would be held after the Songkran holiday. Cambodia has proposed a meeting of the JBC, the bilateral body responsible for handling boundary demarcation between Thailand and Cambodia. However, Sihasak stressed that Thailand must first wait for a new government before deciding when it would be ready to participate.

He added that negotiations must remain within the agreed framework governing the commission. Any discussion about the return of territory would have to take place as part of the broader boundary demarcation process handled by the JBC. According to Sihasak, Cambodia had sought talks following the latest fighting along the border.

The foreign minister also clarified that certain issues raised by Cambodia were outside the scope of the JBC. Landmine clearance and the suppression of scam networks, he said, were not matters for the commission to address. Cambodia was already obliged to deal with those issues following previous ceasefire talks.

Sihasak said that if Cambodia was not yet ready to clear landmines while Thailand was prepared to proceed, Cambodia would still need to cooperate. He also said scam operations were a global problem rather than an issue involving only Thailand and Cambodia. Cambodia needed to take the matter seriously because it knew where such criminal networks were based.

He emphasised that if Cambodia wished to move forward with boundary demarcation through the JBC, landmines would first have to be cleared so the area could be made safe. He said the meeting should not be opened solely to discuss issues Cambodia wanted to raise, as other matters also needed to be addressed.

Sihasak also commented on other international issues raised by reporters. When asked about US President Donald Trump’s statement that the war in the Middle East might end soon, he said such an outcome would be positive because the conflict had affected many countries. However, he stressed that any resolution should come through sustainable negotiations and peaceful dialogue rather than military action.

The Nation reported that Sihasak said progress on revoking MOU 44 should also wait for the new Thai government’s policy statement to Parliament. The incoming administration would determine the direction of negotiations and future engagement with Cambodia through the JBC framework.

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Adapted by ASEAN Now Nation 11 Mar 2026

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I believe the Government has nothing to do with the issue. It is the Army that decide what is happening

I have general been pro-Thailand on the border issue, however his does feel like Thailand is taking an unnecessarily rigid stance here.

Border negotiations are already sensitive by nature, and putting them on hold until a new government is formed, and only under conditions Thailand prefers, risks creating the impression that dialogue is something to be granted rather than mutually pursued.

If both sides genuinely want progress, talks shouldn’t be contingent on one party meeting pre‑set demands.

Cambodia raising issues it considers important is normal in any bilateral meeting.

Isn't that how diplomacy works?

A negotiation that only entertains one side’s agenda isn’t really a negotiation at all.

Given the long history of Thai‑Cambodian border tensions, especially around demarcation and local security concerns, delaying discussions may only allow misunderstandings to deepen.

A caretaker government might have limitations, but it can still maintain diplomatic channels and keep communication open.

Ultimately, both countries benefit from stability along the border.

Restarting talks without preconditions would send a much stronger signal of goodwill than waiting for political timing to be “more convenient”!