Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul revealed today he is waiting for a report from the National Security Council regarding the suspected Chinese arms shipment to Cambodia, as reported by the New York Times.
In Parliament, People’s Party MP Rangsiman Rome expressed concern over the New York Times report claiming that China had shipped arms to Cambodia.
He said he expects China to issue a statement on the matter swiftly, warning that such an action, if true, would be viewed in a very negative light by the Thai public.
Rangsiman noted that he had previously heard about the shipments from other sources, but this latest report, coming from a highly credible international news organization, raised serious questions about China's stance regarding the Thai-Cambodian border conflict.
He said it remains unclear whether the arms were provided free of charge, sold with proper end-user certificates, or if China was unaware the weapons might end up being used against Thailand.
In the first two scenarios, he said, it would suggest that China knowingly enabled a situation where the arms could be used against Thailand rather than Cambodia’s other neighbors, Laos or Vietnam.
Regardless of the circumstances, Rangsiman urged Thailand to prepare for a worst-case scenario, despite the Thai military being far larger and better equipped than its Cambodian counterpart.
He also called on the government to enhance the effectiveness of the country’s intelligence services, particularly in monitoring troop and equipment movements in Cambodia.
Rangsiman added that building a border fence alone is insufficient to prevent illegal cross-border activities, and emphasized the need for surveillance cameras to be installed along the border.
