Cambodia Agrees to Remove Trenches at Disputed Border Hill
Cambodia has agreed to fill in a trench and remove barbed-wire barriers at a disputed border hill in Si Sa Ket province after Thailand objected, with Thai officials saying the issue was resolved through diplomatic talks.
Bangkok — Cambodia has agreed to fill in a trench and remove barbed-wire barriers at Hill 450 near Chong Sa-ngam in Si Sa Ket province after Thailand raised concerns, the Thai Army said Thursday.
Maj. Gen. Winthai Suvaree, Thai Army spokesman, said coordination teams from both sides had discussed the issue and that the Cambodian side had agreed to restore the area. He said the development showed that the issue could be resolved through talks.
Winthai urged people living in border areas not to panic over reports circulating on social media, saying information from various sources could increase public anxiety. He said local administrative officials and military personnel on both sides continue to exchange information regularly and that the situation was less concerning than some social media reports and commentary suggested.
Regarding why Cambodian troops had dug the trench and installed barriers, Winthai said the Army had not yet received an official report detailing the reasons. He noted that the Thai-Cambodian border stretches for more than 500 kilometres, with small units stationed along the frontier, meaning incidents involving changes to defensive positions or barriers could occur.
Thailand is particularly monitoring activities involving changes to the terrain, trench digging and the installation of obstacles, he said.
Asked whether Cambodia's decision to fill the trench and remove the barriers amounted to an acknowledgement that the actions had encroached on Thai sovereignty, Winthai said details would need to be confirmed by units operating in the area. He said troops deployed along the border already know the established positions, while the barriers could have been intended simply for unit security. However, because the work was carried out in a sensitive area close to both sides, Thailand had raised an objection.
Winthai said the issue was not considered a major concern because the coordination teams from both sides were able to resolve it through dialogue.
