Defence Minister Phumtham Wechayachai says Thailand reinforces army presence in response to Cambodia transfer.
Thailand has strengthened its army presence alongside a disputed border with Cambodia following a rise in troops on the opposite aspect, the Thai defence minister has stated.
Tensions between the 2 Southeast Asian international locations have been rising since a Cambodian soldier was killed on Could 28 in a short skirmish in an undemarcated border space.
For the reason that incident, the 2 governments have been exchanging rigorously worded statements committing to dialogue.
Thailand’s Defence Minister Phumtham Wechayachai, who additionally serves as deputy prime minister, stated on Saturday that Cambodia had rejected proposals in bilateral talks held on Thursday that would have led to a de-escalation.
“Moreover, there was a reinforcement of army presence, which has exacerbated tensions alongside the border,” Phumtham stated in a press release.
“Consequently, the Royal Thai Authorities has deemed it essential to implement further measures and to bolster our army posture accordingly.”
He didn’t present additional particulars on the extent of reinforcements by both aspect.
There was no fast remark from Cambodia.
In a separate assertion on Saturday, the Thai military stated Cambodian civilians had additionally repeatedly made incursions into Thailand’s territory.
“These provocations, and the buildup of army forces, point out a transparent intent to make use of pressure,” the Thai military stated, including it could take management of all Thai checkpoints alongside the Cambodia border.
Thailand and Cambodia have for greater than a century contested sovereignty at numerous undemarcated factors alongside their 817km (508-mile) land border.
Stress escalated in 2008 over an Eleventh-century Hindu temple, resulting in skirmishes over a number of years and a minimum of a dozen deaths, together with throughout a weeklong alternate of artillery fireplace in 2011.
On Monday, Cambodia’s Prime Minister Hun Manet stated the federal government would file a grievance with the Worldwide Court docket of Justice (ICJ) over the border dispute.
“Cambodia hopes that the Thai aspect will agree with Cambodia to collectively convey these points to the Worldwide Court docket of Justice… to forestall armed confrontation once more over border uncertainty,” Hun Manet stated throughout a gathering between MPs and senators.
Thailand has not recognised the ICJ’s jurisdiction since 1960 and has as a substitute known as for bilateral talks.
Efforts have been made by Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, who’s the present chair of the Southeast Asian ASEAN bloc, and China to scale back tensions, however the border stays disputed.
A gathering of the Cambodia-Thailand Joint Boundary Fee – which addresses border demarcation points – is scheduled for June 14.
