Thailand builds 16-kilometres fence amid Cambodia border tensions
New barrier aims to prevent illegal settlements and assert Thai sovereignty
The Ad Hoc Centre for the Thailand-Cambodia Border Situation has approved the construction of a 16-kilometre fence along a disputed border area. This fence will connect Baan Nong Chan to Baan Nong Ya Kaew in Sa Kaeo province.
During a meeting, the governor of Sa Kaeo, leading the provincial centre, proposed this plan. According to Rear Admiral Surasant Kongsiri, the centre’s spokesperson, the fence aims to bolster border security and safeguard residents, following local reports of Cambodians encroaching on forest land. The fence is intended to be built across the 50th and 51st border markers.
Baan Nong Chan has recently become a focal point due to confrontations between Thai villagers and Cambodian settlers, who protested after the Thai military encircled the village with barbed wire. Thailand asserts that the land was initially designated as a refugee camp for those fleeing the Cambodian war in the 1970s, and it has been occupied by refugees and their descendants since.
Rear Adm Surasant mentioned plans to investigate land rights in the area. Charges for violating the Forest Act are anticipated against Cambodian nationals trespassing on forest areas.
The meeting on Wednesday also covered the visit of a team of ASEAN military observers to the Chanthaburi and Trat Border Defence Command on Tuesday. The information collected is expected to help the Interim Observer Team assess the situation fairly, as stated by Rear Adm Surasant.
Preparations are underway for the General Border Committee meeting from September 7 to September 10 in Koh Kong, Cambodia, with a press briefing to be held in Trat, Thailand.
In a related update, Acting Defence Minister General Nattaphon Narkphanit assured that potential political changes in Thailand, such as the possible dissolution of Parliament, would not impact the Thai-Cambodian border situation. He explained that the Ministry of Defence Organisation Act grants authority to the supreme commander-in-chief and subordinates to manage the situation, reported Bangkok Post.
When questioned about the possibility of Cambodia exploiting the political situation in Thailand, General Nattaphon stated that the situation remains stable, with border forces prepared.
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