The First Army Region Command is to seek legal action against Cambodians involved in the noisy gathering at a temporary fence in the Ban Nong Chan area of Sa Kaeo province this week, which resulted in injuries to Thai soldiers and damage to property.
A nearby school suspended its classes for two days on Monday, as a result of the tension caused by the Cambodian protests over the barbed wire fence erected by the Thai Army.
The command has deployed soldiers to the area and placed them on high alert around the clock.
Government spokesman Jirayu Huangsap said acting Defence Minister Gen Nattaphon Nakpanich has assigned the command to file a complaint with police.
The incidents occurred on Thai sovereign territory, Jirayu claimed, so the Cambodians had clearly encroached onto Thai soil.
The Foreign Ministry will issue a protest note over the incident and raise the matter at the meeting of the defence ministers of both countries, during the General Boundary Committee meeting next month.
Thai army spokesman Maj Gen Winthai Suvaree
Meanwhile, Thai army spokesman Maj Gen Winthai Suvaree said Thailand’s placement of barbed wire for self-protection was prompted by the threat posed by Cambodian landmines. “This reflects Cambodia’s deliberate intention to violate the ceasefire agreement. All Thai actions have taken place entirely within Thai sovereign territory,” he said today.
The fences do not encroach upon the houses or land of Cambodian villagers in nearby Jok Chey. On the contrary, it is Cambodia that has supported its people in encroaching upon the homes and land of Thai villagers, he claimed, adding that such acts violate the 2000 Memorandum of Understanding (MOU43), which prohibits any action that may alter the environment in border areas.
They have also caused hardship for Thai villagers, Winthai said.
Even though Thailand has filed protests through official channels for years, Cambodia has never taken corrective action, he noted.
He also explained that the issue does not represent an expansion of the conflict into civilian areas. Instead, Cambodia’s accusations that Thailand has violated the ceasefire and MOU43 are distortions meant to discredit Thailand. Such disinformation itself amounts to a violation of the ceasefire.
Referring to the installation of barbed wire, Winthai said it was for the safety of Thailand’s land survey team and claimed that Cambodia had encouraged civilians to stage disturbances and behave aggressively, in hopes of provoking Thailand into responding with force.
If the situation had developed according to Cambodia’s plans, they would have recorded it and presented it to the international community, he opined.
Since Thailand anticipated this tactic, and responded with patience and restraint, he said that Cambodia’s attempts did not have their intended effect.
The Thai Army has reiterated that Ban Nong Chan, in Kok Soong district of Sa Kaeo province, which is contested by Cambodia, is Thai territory that was used to house Cambodian refugees fleeing war in their country several decades ago.
After the war in Cambodia, Thailand continued to allow many Cambodians to remain in Ban Nong Chan for humanitarian reasons. This hospitality has, however, been exploited by the Cambodian government, which has allegedly encouraged its citizens to settle there permanently, so it could later claim the area as belonging to Cambodia.
