BREAKING NEWS: Cambodia-Thailand Extraordinary Regional Border Committee (RBC) Meeting Concludes with Commitment to Peaceful Resolution and Enhanced Cooperation

Trat Province, Kingdom of Thailand — 16 August 2025 — The Cambodia-Thailand Extraordinary Regional Border Committee (RBC) convened on August 16, 2025, in Trat Province, Thailand, to discuss ongoing border issues and reinforce commitments to peace and bilateral cooperation. The meeting was hosted by Thailand, bringing together high-level representatives from both countries to review progress and outline future steps.

The Cambodian delegation was led by Major General Uy Hieng, Commander of the 3rd Military Region and Co-Chairman of the RBC. The Thai delegation was headed by Vice Admiral Aphichat Sapprasert, Commander of the Chanthaburi and Trat Border Defense Command and Co-Chairman of the RBC.

Both sides reaffirmed their dedication to implementing the outcomes of prior high-level meetings, including the Special Meeting between Samdech Moha Borvor Thipadei Hun Manet, Prime Minister of Cambodia, and His Excellency Phumtham Wechayachai, Acting Prime Minister of Thailand, held in Putrajaya on July 28, 2025, with Malaysia hosting and the United States and China actively participating. They also underscored their commitment to following through on agreements made during the Extraordinary General Border Committee (GBC) Meeting in Kuala Lumpur on August 7, 2025.

A key focus of the meeting was maintaining open and regular communication between all military areas, regions, and units along the border to prevent misunderstandings and resolve issues peacefully. Both sides emphasized that their engagement should foster trust, stability, and good neighborliness while explicitly avoiding any actions that could lead to clashes or escalate tensions.

To facilitate this, both countries agreed in principle to establish a border coordination group (CG) tasked with enhancing communication at all levels—between commanders, border liaison committees, standing forces, and operational units along the border. Further details on the group's constitution and scope will be discussed at the next RBC meeting.

Cambodia reiterated the importance of humanitarian demining activities, noting that progress hinges on the full implementation of the ceasefire and normalization of border conditions. While border demarcation work is ongoing, demining efforts are confined to resolved or non-disputed areas as agreed upon by the Joint Boundary Commissions (JBC). Both sides agreed that issues related to demining should be addressed in the upcoming GBC Meeting, which is scheduled soon.

Regarding transnational crimes such as online scams, Cambodia emphasized its serious commitment to combating such activities, working closely with ASEAN and other international partners. Both countries highlighted their existing cooperation on tackling online scams and agreed this issue should also be further explored at the forthcoming GBC Meeting, given the mutual impact.

Cambodia also strongly urged both sides to avoid actions that could inadvertently increase tensions, including the laying of barbed wire or destruction of civilian infrastructure, including residential structures. Moreover, the dissemination of false information and fake news was identified as a threat to regional stability and trust, and both nations reaffirmed their resolve to prevent such developments.

Finally, Cambodia called for practical measures to restore normalcy along the border to foster mutual confidence and minimize adverse impacts on local communities’ livelihoods. Both nations expressed optimism about strengthening bilateral ties and enhancing people-to-people exchanges.

The meeting concluded with a shared commitment to building on this positive momentum. Both sides agreed to convene another RBC meeting within one month, with Cambodia hosting the next session, to ensure continued dialogue and cooperation.

Read: https://eacnews.asia/33417