Ongoing clearance operations in Sa Kaeo border areas comply with international law, Thai officials say, while asserting that Cambodian villagers have occupied clearly Thai territory.
Maj Gen Winthai Suvaree, spokesman for the Royal Thai Army, said Cambodian government spokeswoman Pen Bona has deliberately misrepresented the situation.
He said one area under dispute, and which Cambodian villagers have encroached upon, lies outside the territory that Cambodia has previously claimed.
It extends well into Thai territory, he said. This remains the case even though Cambodia refers to a 1:200,000-scale map as the basis for its claims. In particular, Maj Gen Winthai noted that for flat terrain along the border, the Franco-Siamese Treaty stipulates that demarcation must rely on previously established boundary markers.
While differences in interpretation of some markers have resulted in overlapping claims, such areas fall under the purview of the Joint Boundary Commission (JBC), which serves as the mechanism for resolving such disputes.
However, the current issue concerns land that lies clearly within Thai territory, he said.