Cambodian border province refuses Thai request ove | RSS.com
Authorities in Cambodia’s Banteay Meanchey province have rejected a request from Thailand’s Sa Kaeo provincial administration to cooperate on resolving disputes over Cambodian villagers’ homes near the frontier.
Banteay Meanchey governor Um Reatrey wrote in a letter dated September 2, made public today, that issues related to border management, demarcation, and the planting of markers fall under the authority of the Cambodia–Thailand General Border Committee and the Joint Boundary Commission. He pointed to the 1995 border cooperation agreement and the 2000 memorandum of understanding signed by the two governments as the relevant legal frameworks.
The governor stressed that unilateral actions affecting Cambodian residents would constitute a serious violation of both the 2000 memorandum and the ceasefire agreement reached on July 28 this year. He warned that such moves also undermine the spirit of recent meetings of the General Border Committee in Malaysia on August 7 and the Regional Border Committee on August 22.
Um Reatrey said Sa Kaeo authorities must respect existing agreements and preserve stability until the joint border commissions meet again. Only through those mechanisms, he added, could a peaceful and lawful settlement be reached.
The dispute escalated after Thai newspaper Khaosod published a letter on September 3 from Sa Kaeo’s administration ordering 170 Cambodian families in Chouk Chey village, Banteay Meanchey, to dismantle their homes. Thai officials threatened legal action if residents refused.
Thai troops have also raised banners inside the village, claiming in Thai, English, and Khmer that Cambodians have lived there illegally since 1979. Cambodian analysts say it is the responsibility of Phnom Penh’s government to respond.
On September 4, Cambodian media outlet SBT broadcast live from Chouk Chey, showing villagers blocking Thai soldiers who were attempting to install barbed wire fencing around the disputed area.
The standoff underscores the fragility of the border ceasefire and the high stakes for thousands of Cambodian civilians who fear losing their homes.
