No joint statement issued as Thai-Cambodian border talks conclude

The two-day Joint Boundary Commission (JBC) meeting between Thailand and Cambodia in Phnom Penh concluded on Sunday, with both sides agreeing to the signing of minutes concerning the demarcation of the 800-kilometre-long border between the two neighbouring countries, according to a statement from Thailand’s Foreign Ministry.

Both sides will continue discussions, with Thailand set to host the next special JBC meeting in Bangkok this September. However, no joint statement was issued.

The talks proceeded smoothly in a cordial atmosphere, and the heads of both delegations expressed appreciation as the meeting concluded successfully, according to the statement.

Prasas Prasasvinitchai, head of the Thai delegation and former ambassador to Phnom Penh, declined to speak to the media after the meeting.

Meanwhile, Lam Chea, the Cambodian minister in charge of the State Secretariat of Border Affairs, said that details of the meeting would be made available later.

However, a well-informed source in the Thai delegation revealed that during Sunday’s discussion, the Cambodian side informed their Thai counterparts of the Cambodian government’s decision to bring the border dispute involving three ancient temples and one area to the International Court of Justice (ICJ), and requested that the issue be included in the minutes.

The Thai delegation rejected the request and reiterated Thailand’s position of not recognising the ICJ’s jurisdiction in the matter.

The Thai side also presented evidence of what it described as Cambodia’s repeated violations of the 2000 Memorandum of Understanding (MoU 2543), particularly in the Chong Bok Pass area—one of the four disputed sites Cambodia intends to present to the ICJ.

Meanwhile, the Cambodian government, on Sunday, filed a complaint with the ICJ over the four contested areas: Tamone Thom, Tamone Touch, Ta Krabey, and Mon Bei—known in Thailand as Ta Muen Thom, Ta Muen Toch, Ta Kwai, and the Emerald Triangle, respectively.