ASEAN monitors to attend Thailand-Cambodia GBC meeting on Saturday

Representatives of the ASEAN Operation Teams (AOT) will attend the upcoming General Border Committee (GBC) meeting between Thailand and Cambodia this weekend, according to the Joint Press Center of the Thailand-Cambodia Border Situation.

The center said today that AOT officials will take part in the GBC meeting scheduled for Dec. 27 to ensure transparency regarding the proceedings.

They may also request clarification from both sides on the prepared ceasefire plan.

The GBC meeting follows the Special ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ Meeting in Kuala Lumpur on December 22. ASEAN urged both parties in conflict to discuss plans to stop the fighting, citing potential impacts on the bloc’s centrality and the region’s peace and security.

Thai and Cambodian officials have held preparatory meetings in Baan Phuck-kard District, Chanthaburi, from December 24–26.

The AOT was established on October 26 to monitor and follow up on the ceasefire on a voluntary basis. Each ASEAN member can contribute two officials to the AOT on both the Thai and Cambodian sides.

At the upcoming GBC meeting, the two countries may agree on a unified AOT to ensure an effective ceasefire.

At a daily press conference today, the center said tensions along the border have eased despite some sporadic exchanges of fire.

The center also rebutted fake news regarding an advisory note allegedly issued by Phnom Penh urging tourists visiting Cambodia to bypass Thailand, claiming it would obstruct their travel plans.

The center reiterated that no such plan exists and that all tourists traveling to Cambodia via Thailand will be facilitated, as has been the case all along.