Thai troops to stay deployed at border for another year - Defence Minister

The Thai Ministry of Defence has ordered troops currently deployed along the Thai-Cambodian border to remain in place for at least another twelve months, or until normality has been restored. They are also to continue building border fences, Defence Minister Gen Nattaphon Nakpanich said today.

Due to the long shared border, extending about 798km and covering multiple northeastern and eastern provinces, he said it may not be possible for the entire border to be permanently fenced, so soldiers will be deployed in unfenced areas.

In some border areas, he said a CCTV system will be installed, while in other areas under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, he said he will seek permission to allow war veterans to settle there to make a living and to protect the border against intrusion or encroachment by Cambodians.

Regarding controls on “strategic goods” in areas bordering Cambodia, the defence minister said the law is obsolete and needs to be updated to cover more items.

Concerning a recent incident in which a Thai soldier was injured by mortar shrapnel near the border in Ubon Ratchathani province, which Cambodia claimed was an accident, Gen Nattaphon said the Thai military had exercised restraint by not responding in kind. He hopes, however, that there will not be another such “accident.”