Cambodia-Thailand Joint Border Commission Meeting Kicks off in Phnom Penh

Cambodia-Thailand Joint Border Commission Meeting Kicks off in Phnom Penh

AKP-Phnom Penh, June 14, 2025 –Cambodian and Thai competent authorities gathered in the 6th Meeting of the Joint Commission on Demarcation for Land Boundary (JBC) in Phnom Penh this morning to resume their official border talks after a 12-year hiatus.

The Cambodian side was headed by H.E. Lam Chea, Minister in Charge of the State Secretariat of Border Affairs and Head of the Cambodian Border Affairs Commission, while the Thai side was led by Mr. Prasas Prasasvinitchai, Advisor to the Thai Ministry of Foreign Affairs in charge of border affairs.

Speaking on the eve of the meeting, Cambodian Prime Minister Samdech Moha Borvor Thipadei Hun Manet clarified that two key issues would be excluded from the agenda.

The first issue concerns border disputes involving the Ta Moan Thom, Ta Moan Tauch, and Ta Krabei temple complexes, as well as the Mom Bei area. The Prime Minister stated Cambodia has already decided to bring these matters before the International Court of Justice (ICJ), and planned to submit an official request to the Court tomorrow, June 15.

The second issue is the ongoing border closure. According to Samdech Thipadei, opening or closing border crossings does not fall within the JBC’s jurisdiction.

He noted that the issue is straightforward: the border, which was unilaterally closed by the Thai military on June 7, 2025, should be unilaterally reopened to its previous status.

Samdech Thipadei underscored that Cambodia did not initiate the current situation and therefore should not be expected to end it. “What was started unilaterally must be ended unilaterally. There is no need for negotiation. Whoever starts first, ends first,” he declared.

Nevertheless, the Prime Minister reiterated Cambodia’s willingness to continue working with Thailand through the JBC mechanism to complete the demarcation of the remaining sections of the shared border—excluding the four disputed areas, which Cambodia intends to resolve through the ICJ.

By C. Nika