Regional news from Southeast Asia in English — ASEAN politics, economy and diplomacy, covered by Thai PBS World.
The Thai Foreign Ministry renewed its call for Cambodia to de-escalate tensions along their common border on Sunday, and for both countries to use bilateral mechanisms to resolve their dispute, to prevent the situation from escalating further.
Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, as chairman of ASEAN, has called the prime ministers of Thailand and Cambodia in an effort to mediate the ongoing border tension between the two countries.
Thailand today restated its desire to resolve the recent border tension with Cambodia exclusively through bilateral mechanisms, rejecting calls to involve the International Court of Justice (ICJ).
Protesters will rally in front of the Cambodian Embassy, on Pracha Uthit Road in Bangkok tomorrow, to express their determination to protect Thailand’s territorial integrity amidst increasing border tensions with Cambodia.
Defence Minister Phumtham Wechayachai said today that Thailand may resort to closing some border checkpoints with Cambodia, if negotiations through the JBC framework fail to produce a solution to the border dispute.
Cambodia has vowed to refer its border dispute with Thailand to the International Court of Justice (ICJ), citing the failure of existing mechanisms to resolve tensions over four sensitive areas along the frontier.
Thailand’s First Army Region troops have been placed on combat-readiness, due to the build-up of Thai and Cambodian forces along the mostly un-demarcated Thai-Cambodian border.
Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra claimed today that there is nothing wrong with the Shinawatra family having a close relationship with the family of former Cambodian prime minister Hun Sen, as she urged the Thai public not to fall victim to fake news intended to exacerbate Thai-Cambodian border conflicts.
The Thai army dismissed an allegation in Cambodian media today, claiming that Cambodian troops had shot down a Thai military surveillance drone, which had intruded into Cambodian airspace.
Defence Minister Phumtham Wechayachai said today that the Thai government and military are in unison regarding the border conflict with Cambodia.
Phnom Penh will host a Joint Commission on the Demarcation of Land Boundaries (JBC) meeting with Thailand on June 14, as both countries seek ways to deescalate the ongoing border dispute.
The Royal Thai Air Force has scrambled two F16 fighters, from its airbase in Nakhon Sawan province, to prevent a Myanmar military aircraft from intruding into Thai air space over the western province of Tak.
