Grenade discovered near Thai base as RBC talks end without agreement

Thailand’s Second Army Region has reassured the public that the border situation remains under control after a 40-millimetre grenade was fired from Cambodia into Kantharalak district in Si Sa Ket on Thursday morning.

The army said it is fully prepared to respond in line with established rules of engagement to ensure the safety and sovereignty of Thailand.

The grenade was discovered near an operational base in the Phlan Hin Paet Kon area. Military officials confirm that the incident did not affect army personnel or local residents and there were no injuries or damage reported.

Thai security forces immediately secured the area and are conducting a thorough inspection to assess the situation and determine the cause of the grenade’s appearance.

Security measures around the base have also been tightened as a precaution and the Cambodian side’s commanding officers in the area were alerted shortly after the discovery.

Reports from the Thai side indicate that Cambodian authorities claimed that the incident was the result of a lapse in discipline by newly deployed personnel, adding that those involved were reprimanded and troops in the area have been instructed accordingly.

In a statement posted on its official Facebook page, the Second Army Region said the situation is under control, emphasising that there was no violence and no exchange of gunfire between the two sides.

This incident marks the third cross-border incident originating from the Cambodian side since the signing of the bilateral agreement.

Meanwhile, the first special Regional Border Committee (RBC) Secretariat meeting of the year between Thai and Cambodian forces, was held in Klong Yai district of Trat province on Tuesday and Wednesday, but ended without any agreement.

Rear Admiral Parach Rattanachaipan, spokesman for the Royal Thai Navy, said that the talks were inconclusively because the Cambodian side made some proposals pertaining to border demarcation, which were beyond the scope of the authority of the RBC and irrelevant to the essence of the joint statement of the General Border Committee.

He maintains that the Thai delegation at the RBC Secretariat meeting had done its best to be sincere and flexible within the agreed framework to keep the meeting proceeding smoothly for the mutual benefit of both countries.

When a solution could not be worked out within the agreed framework, however, he said that the meeting could not proceed and had to end inconclusively, adding that Thailand remains open to talks in the future when the opportunity arises.

The RBC Secretariat talks are a follow-up meeting between the two armies within the framework of the joint statement of the third special GBC meeting on December 27th, to put an end to more last year’s bloody armed conflict between Thailand and Cambodia, in which 42 Thai soldiers and an unspecified number of Cambodians were killed.

Thai troops have managed to regain control of several strategic mountainous outposts, occupied by Cambodian forces over the past several years, including the area around the Preah Vihear Temple ruins.