WHILE negotiations by Thai and Cambodian troops defused tension at Sa Kaeo province with the latter agreeing to pull back to the Thai borderline until the Joint Border Committee (JBC) officially concludes demarcation in future a veteran Thai soldier warned of silent offensive, TV Channel 7 said this evening (May 20).
This issue arose last Saturday (May 16) when Thai officials discovered that Cambodian farmers were using tractors to plough land for cultivation within Thai sovereign territory while they claimed that they had been farming on this stretch of land for over 30 years.
A team of soldiers from Burapha Task Force, Khok Sung Task Force, and the 12th Ranger Regiment, was sent to secure the area while Lt. Col. Aswin Saothong, chief of staff of the 12th Ranger Regiment and acting commander of the 1205th Ranger Company, along with Lt. Nitiphum Kongtawee, commander of the Tactical Control Platoon, Khok Sung Task Force, participated in negotiations with the Cambodian side, led by Lt. Col. Ho Lee Haeng, commander of the 3rd Reconnaissance Company, 503rd Border Protection Battalion.
During initial discussions, both sides jointly inspected the area using GPS coordinates and the Thai side’s borderline. A key conclusion was that Cambodia agreed to pull its farming area back to the line shown by the Thai side, with this being approximately 300-400 metres from where they had been located.
They also agreed that neither side would use the area until the JBC officially concludes its border demarcation in future. Although the negotiations ended without violence, local villagers remain uneasy, viewing the area as Thai territory that should not be restricted.
Ms. Nongrat Chanthama, a representative of the Ang Sila villagers, along with other villagers, presented flowers to the Thai soldiers to show their support and encouragement for monitoring the situation and listening to the concerns of the people along the border.
However, another border issue cropped up today (May 20) with a veteran Thai soldier saying on Facebook that Cambodia is employing a silent offensive strategy, having moved its military base less than 20 metres from Prasat Ta Muen Thom temple, and urged vigilance against erosion of Thai territory, Amarin TV said.
Mr. Korakot Ketkaew, a legendary figure in the Black Shirt movement and a former first-generation military ranger, said, “Cambodia is playing dumb and silently encroaching on Thai land.
“In many areas, Cambodia is using a silent offensive strategy. A clear example is at Prasat Ta Muen Thom temple. Previously, the Cambodian base was 40-50 metres away from the temple. Now, it has moved sharply closer, less than 20 meters away.”
“Before, the Cambodian base wasn’t large, but now it has built a very large base, forming a frontal structure several hundred metres long from left to right and directly in front of Prasat Ta Muen Thom temple…
“This is a silent offensive plan that Thailand can only watch helplessly because the higher-ups didn’t give the orders.”
CAPTIONS:
Top and Front Page – Thai and Cambodian troops hold talks on a border issue. Photo – TV Channel 7
Insert – Troops near Prasat Ta Muen Thom temple. Photo by Mr. Korakot Ketkaew and published by Amarin TV
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