Thai soldiers have started clearing the land under dispute in Banteay Meanchey province, keeping to their plan to demine the area despite an official letter by Cambodian army urging them to halt the activity as they are violating the ceasefire agreement.
Around 11 a.m. on Friday, about 100 Thai soldiers arrived with a bulldozer to clear the land in Prey Chan village, O’Bei Choan commune, according to local eyewitnesses and officials.
“They are encroaching our land,” said Hul Malis, one of the six families who were forced out of their homes by Thai soldiers in August. “Now they are clearing up to the boundary of my land.” She and her family have been living and farming there for decades and even have a land title, although it is with the bank.
The Cambodian Armed Forces said that Thailand’s 1st Army Area violated the spirit of the First Special Meeting of the General Border Committee (GBC) by conducting the demining operations in two disputed border villages.
The Regional Border Committee (RBC) meeting scheduled for October 10-12 in Banteay Meanchey has been postponed as the Thai side is not attending, according to provincial spokesperson Ly Vannarith.
He said that the Thai side’s activity was unilateral and violated the GBC agreement. “This is a mistake made unilaterally by the Thai side because it is related to demining operations that we have already agreed upon with a SOP [standard operating procedure] for Humanitarian Demining [pending].”
He said the Thai soldiers are clearing the area where they laid razor wire and tire fencing and evicted six families.
The 51st Infantry Brigade of the Royal Cambodian Armed Forces’ 5th Military Region wrote a letter responding to Thailand’s 1st Army Area’s Burapha Task Force to “halt the planned activity” to demine Prey Chan village, reminding them of the recently-established Joint Coordinating Task Force (JCTF) which was in the process of developing the SOP.
The setting up of the JCTF was decided by both parties on September 24 during the First Special Meeting of the GBC, the army said, adding that the SOP has been revised twice.
The JCTF held its second virtual meeting yesterday, with some progress made and remaining issues to be finalized later. Once the SOP takes effect, both sides will move forward to identify priority areas and pilot sites for humanitarian demining.
As such, the Cambodian army stressed, Burapha Task Force’s operation to clear explosive ordnance runs counter to the spirit of the First Special Meeting of the GBC.
Chouk Chey village is located opposite Thailand’s Nong Chan village, while Prey Chan village is opposite Nong Ya Kaew village in Thailand.
A Thai media outlet reported that the Thai 1st Army area announced on Wednesday that it would proceed with explosive ordnance clearing operations in two areas of Ban Nong Chan and Ban Nong Ya Kaew. The Thai army called the Cambodian villages with the same Thai name despite Cambodia saying Chouk Chey and Prey Chan are within its sovereign territory.
The Thai army based their action on the GBC’s extraordinary meeting in Koh Kong, Cambodia on September 10, when both allegedly agreed to measures for practical cooperation to conduct humanitarian mine clearance to promote economic and social development and for the protection of civilian lives. This, they said, is “in compliance with the agreement from the meeting and to ensure the safety of the people in the area”.
The barricades in Chouk Chey and Prey Chan villages have cut off residents’ access to their houses and farms, many of whom have lived there for years, leading to clashes with Thai troops. Thai authorities also put up banners to order Cambodian villagers to leave by Friday or face legal consequences under Thai law.
Although the RBC talks in Banteay Meachey from October 10 to 12 were postponed, Cambodia and Thailand are holding a series of RBC meetings this month. The RBC represents the regional arm of the General Border Committee, a bilateral body used to manage disputes and coordinate matters along the shared border. Talks at all levels have been key to maintaining peace since a deadly five-day border clash in July which ended with a ceasefire on July 28.
On Friday, Cambodia’s RBC secretariat—commander of military region 4, and the Thai 2nd Army area met in Oddar Meanchey province to discuss the preparatory work for the three-day RBC meeting on October 15, and continued commitment to de-escalate tension.
The Interim Observer Team (IOT) has made frequent visits to the two villages throughout the week to monitor the prevailing situation, and report on the border situation following the ceasefire.
National Defense Ministry spokesperson Maly Socheata declined to comment further on the situation, referring instead to an update in their official Facebook page.
According to the ministry, the Malaysia-led IOT with participation by other ASEAN defence attachés has visited the locations where Thai forces are “committing activities that encroach upon Cambodian sovereignty”, particularly Prey Chan village. The encroachment, including land clearing and mine clearance, occurred at 11:05 a.m. and 1:55 p.m.
“The IOT team has continued to monitor the situation closely, since this morning, to accurately and thoroughly understand and evaluate the above-mentioned situation, ensuring compliance with their mandate to uphold full and effective implementation of the ceasefire,” the ministry added.
