(Phnom Penh): Cambodia and Thailand have been neighbors for centuries and will continue to be so for centuries to come. Samdech Thipadei Prime Minister Hun Manet wrote on his social media on Friday (Sep. 26).
“It is important to acknowledge the fact that while both countries have yet to demarcate the shared border, people on both sides have lived on and cultivated the lands for decades in many un-demarcated areas. This has given rise to disputes or differences that both sides have been able to amicably address through the General Border Committee (GBC), and have agreed to refer the complicated boundary issues to the Joint Commission for Demarcation of Land Boundary (JBC) for settlement, in accordance with the Memorandum of Understanding between the Government of the Kingdom of Cambodia and the Government of the Kingdom of Thailand on the Survey and Demarcation of Land Boundary signed in 2000 (MOU 2000). The MOU is registered with the United Nations and can be accessed through the UN Treaty collection series.
According to this MOU, both sides agreed to maintain the status quo until the demarcation work is completed. The Terms of Reference (TOR) of 2003 stipulates that the demarcation comprises 5 stages to be completed and outcome to be ratified:
Step 1: Refixation, Repair and Replacement
of the Boundary Pillars (BP)
Step 2: Production of Orthophoto maps
Step 3: Plotting the line to be surveyed
Step 4: Terrain inspection
Step 5: Emplacement of Boundary Pillars
Recently, the Deputy Spokesperson of the Thai army and Thailand’s Sa Keo Governor, along with various other sources, presented to the public satellite maps and some official documents showing the location of BP in the areas of Prey Chan Village and Chouk Chey Village of Cambodia. Similarly, a Facebook under the name "Royal Thai Army: Update" posted, on 19 September, a satellite map together with the record of BP findings co-signed by Mr. Lay Sieng Ly, Head of the Cambodian Survey Team and his Thai counterpart, Colonel Chakhorn Bunphadey, showing a borderline connecting BP 42 and BP 43 (Prey Chan village) to claim that the boundary in the area is settled.
These claims are not true for 2 simple facts: 1) the survey teams of both countries agreed only on the location of BP 43, not BP 42; and 2) the survey teams have neither the mandate nor the authority to decide on the borderline.
The signed record constitutes only Step 1 of the five Steps required (as explained above).
But even by the virtue of this unofficial unilaterally drawn borderline between BP 42-43 (Prey Chan Village) and BP 44-47 (Chouk Chey Village) in the infographics presented by the Thai side, the reality on the ground is that Thai people have been occupying and farming for years many hectares of land situated well within Cambodian territory— as shown in the attached maps / infographics of the areas.
This demonstrates the complexity of the border issue in these segments. It underscores the need for both countries to peacefully resolve the deputed areas through the existing Joint Commission for Demarcation of Land Boundary (JBC), the very mechanism through which both countries have been working together constructively for many years.
The Royal Government of Cambodia is committed to seeking an amicable and fair resolution to all boundary disputes with Thailand, as with all its neighbours, through peaceful means in accordance with international law, while remaining resolute in upholding its principled position that borders must not be changed by force.
Cambodia fully respects the sovereignty and territorial integrity of our neighbours, but we also demand that our own sovereignty and territorial integrity be fully respected.”
=FRESH NEWS
