A border fence project proposed by Thailand was a highlight of the two-day Thai-Cambodian Joint Boundary Commission (JBC) meeting that ended on Wednesday in Chanthaburi, say sources at the meeting.
Participants addressed various urgent matters, particularly Thai complaints about Cambodian nationals encroaching on Thai territory in Ban Nong Chan and Ban Nong Ya Kaeo in Khok Sung district of Sa Kaeo.
The Thai delegation informed their Cambodian counterparts of the plan to construct a straight-line border fence connecting boundary markers previously agreed on by both sides, the sources said.
Construction of the fence is expected to take place from boundary markers 52 to 59, covering a distance of 8.4 kilometres in Pong Nam Ron district of Chanthaburi province, the meeting was told.
It will be about 3.5 metres high and must be durable and permanent, with the capacity to prevent intrusion, vandalism, dismantling and illegal crossings, whether by people tunnelling underneath or climbing over.
Discussions also covered planned revisions to the 2003 terms of reference, to incorporate LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) technology for aerial mapping purposes. Notably, the meeting did not involve discussions on formal border demarcation, the sources said.
The outcomes of the JBC meeting will be reported to the secretariat of the Thai-Cambodian General Border Committee (GBC), which met on Tuesday and Wednesday to prepare for a special session of the GBC on Thursday in Kuala Lumpur.
Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul said he had received a progress report on the GBC meeting in the Malaysian capital, adding that the talks appear to be moving forward positively.
The GBC deals with border security issues chaired by defence ministers. The JBC focuses on legal and technical land demarcation led by foreign ministry officials, while the Regional Border Committee (RBC) handles regional border management and cooperation, involving military commanders.
Mr Anutin will be in Kuala Lumpur for this weekend’s Asian Summit. Among others in attendance will be US President Donald Trump, who expects to preside over the signing of some kind of ‘peace agreement’ between Thailand and Cambodia to bolster his Nobel credentials.
However, it is not yet clear whether there will be anything to sign.