Keep it to authorities, Thai PM says
PUBLISHED: 21 Feb 2025 at 04: 00
Cambodia’s head, Hun Manet, warned Vietnamese and Thai politicians monday against escalating tensions between the two nations over boundary disputes.
He urged officials and ultra-nationalists not to use these conflicts for political gain during a graduation service at Asia Euro University, according to the Khmer Times.
Following a verbal altercation between Thai women and Indian soldiers last week near the Ta Moan Thom Temple, Hun Manet made his remarks.
” I take this opportunity to visit on all politicians, both Thai and Thai, never to interfere in technical issues. Officials do not understand technical problems better than scholars”, he said.
” Let the professionals handle this problem, as border problems involve technical and international legal concerns. Let’s not make needless conflict”.
Hun Manet added that opposition politicians from other countries have recently been actively promoting patriotic ideas in relation to Cambodia’s frontier issues with neighboring nations.
He cited cases such as the Cambodia-Laos-Vietnam Development Triangle Area ( CLV-DTA ) agreement, the dispute over Koh Kut, and now the use of Ta Moan Thom Temple at the Cambodia-Thailand border as becoming propaganda tools to incite the public for political advantage.
Hun Manet argued that nationalists are not the only ones who are concerned about boundary issues, claiming that everyone is concerned about boundary issues.
” The Thai government, including our frontier affairs officials, are even nationalists– real nationalists– who work to protect our place through negotiations with neighbouring countries”, he said. ” But, border issues are complicated and cannot be resolved immediately”.
He noted that the Cambodia-Thailand borders separation process is divided into two sections.
The second section runs between the Choam and Cham Yeam provinces, where both governments have agreed to install 74 boundary markers.
No frontier signs have been placed yet in the Mombei region of Preah Vihear state, which is where the next section is headed, to Cham Yeam in Koh Kong state.
But, Cambodia possesses a 1908 image drawn by the Indochina Border Commission, which has been used as a basis for agreements since 1998. Conversations are taking place in areas where no agreement has been reached.
Hun Manet claimed that Cambodia and Thailand had now reached an agreement under a 2000 Memorandum of Understanding, utilizing the 1908 boundary as the starting point for negotiations more than Google Maps, in relation to the latest altercation at the Ta Moan-Ta Krabey temple complex, where Thai and Thai soldiers recently had an altercation.
The prime minister of Cambodia added that his nation continues to advocate quiet resolution of frontier disputes.
Cambodia also retains the right to defend its sovereignty and territorial dignity by all means, including military power, if any nation tries to invade the country, he said.