Update May 29, 9:50 PM:
Less than 48 hours after a deadly border clash, senior Cambodian and Thai military officials met late-afternoon Thursday at a border liaison office in Oddar Meanchey to ease tensions.
Cambodia’s General Mao Sophan and Thailand’s General Pana Klaewplodthuk led the talks, which produced the following outcomes, according to a Cambodian military press release:
- Both sides agreed to use existing bilateral mechanisms, including the Joint Boundary Committee (JBC), which handles technical demarcation talks, the General Border Committee (GBC) for military coordination and the “2000 MoU” that sets ground rules for managing disputed areas. All three have been used in past cross-border disputes.
- The parties pledged to maintain peace near the border and address future issues through diplomatic channels, including upcoming JBC meetings expected within two to three weeks.
- Cambodia called for “mutual respect of sovereignty and territorial integrity,” with similar customary appeals from Thailand.
- The Cambodian military also stressed it will not withdraw troops or stand unarmed at the contentious border point where the shootout occurred, saying its forces have been stationed there since before the 2000 MoU was signed.
Cambodia and Thailand said they would hold talks on Thursday to ease tensions following a deadly clash near the Preah Vihear border area that left one Cambodian soldier dead and both sides trading blame for opening fire.
Cambodian Senate President and former Prime Minister Hun Sen blamed low-ranking Thai commanders, not official policy, for the clash.
Prime Minister Hun Manet, currently on a state visit to Japan, called for calm and expressed hope that relations between the two countries’ militaries would return to a state of normalcy following Thursday’s talks.
Before the talks were announced, Thai Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra told Radio Free Asia she had spoken with Hun Manet, describing the incident as minor and saying both sides agreed to prevent further clashes.
Cambodia’s defence ministry said the clash broke out early on May 28, when Thai troops allegedly opened fire on a Cambodian outpost in Morodok Techo village, Preah Vihear, which borders Thailand’s Ubon Ratchathani province.
Thailand’s military issued a conflicting account, saying Cambodian soldiers fired first and that the exchange ended about 10 minutes later after a ceasefire was called.
Border disputes in the area are nothing new. The Preah Vihear Temple, a UNESCO World Heritage site in Preah Vihear with sovereignty granted to Cambodia by the UN, has sparked several clashes – most notably between 2008 and 2011. Since then, and until Wednesday’s fatal shooting, only minor incidents have occurred, including a small February confrontation between border troops at another disputed temple.
Hun Sen, who was prime minister during the 2008–2011 clashes, gave an impromptu address Thursday morning at a senate meeting after posting about the incident on Facebook the night before.
He struck a fence-mending tone but stressed Cambodia’s resolve to protect its sovereignty. He confirmed additional troops and weapons had been deployed to the border as a defensive measure, to be used only if provoked. He also questioned Thailand’s territorial claims near the clash site and called for a return to normalcy, noting residents near the border were evacuated for safety after the shooting.
Cambodian Royal Army spokesperson Mao Phalla declined to comment on troop movements, saying military affairs are not public. But the deputy commander of the Royal Army division in Preah Vihear said the “situation is now normal.”
