Thai-led FBI tour of Cambodian territory an unacceptable provocation, say officials, analysts

Thai military officials took FBI agents and foreign military attachés on an inspection tour of Cambodian territory on February 2. Thai Enquirer

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Thailand, having illegally occupied parts of Cambodian territory, appears to be shifting the narrative by drawing attention to its original claims of combatting scam on Cambodian sovereign territory. They are doing this by taking FBI officials and military attaches from 20 countries on an inspection tour of alleged scam centre in O Smach, Oddar Meanchey province, according to senior government officials and analysts.

On February 2, the Thai army took the FBI officials and attachés to the O Smach border area inside Cambodia, where alleged scam centres were present. This Cambodian territory is currently under Thai military occupation, following concentrated attacks in the final hours before the December 27 ceasefire.

Thai media outlet The Nation reported that the visit was led by Teeranan Nandhakwang, director-general of the Royal Thai Army’s Directorate of Intelligence. While the paper claimed the visit was to the Chom Chom border crossing, another media outlet, Thai Enquirer, reported that the visit was made to the Royal Hill Casino complex in O Smach, Cambodia.

Nandhakwang admitted that the Thai army controls approximately 100 rai (160,000 square metres) of Cambodian territory.

While he announced that control of the area would be subject to negotiations via bilateral mechanisms, including the JBC and GBC, he stated that Thai forces would prevent entry by the Cambodian side, and uncertainty would continue until a new Thai government is formed.

A senior Cambodian government official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said that the area is Cambodian territory, and not part of Kap Choeng district in Thai Surin, as The Nation claimed. The official noted that, having illegally controlled the area after the ceasefire, the Thai army is applying a fait accompli, enforcing Thai law on Cambodia, and diverting attention from their illegal occupation of the area by focusing on alleged scam activities.

“Cambodia fully supports international cooperation to combat transnational cybercrime and human trafficking in scam operations. However, we firmly reject any military occupation of sovereign Cambodian territory disguised as law enforcement,” said the senior Cambodian official, who is deeply involved in border affairs.

“O Smach is an internationally recognised border crossing, agreed upon by both sides. The presence of foreign military attachés there clearly serves as evidence that Thai soldiers have encroached upon and are illegally occupying Cambodian territory,” he added.

A local resident told The Post that O Smach remained calm during July and only experienced concentrated attacks from the Thai military on December 27, the day Cambodia and Thailand signed a Joint Statement agreeing to a midday ceasefire.

Currently, the Thai military is reportedly occupying at least 14 locations in four Cambodian provinces: Preah Vihear, Oddar Meanchey, Banteay Meanchey and Pursat, according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation.

Kin Phea, director of the International Relations Institute at the Royal Academy of Cambodia, believed that bringing foreign military attachés and FBI officials to visit the territorial areas of another sovereign state is illegal, regardless of the claimed presence of an online scam hub.

“Thailand has no authority to manage or bring foreign delegates to enter and do anything in Cambodian territory,” he said.

“This is a breach of the ceasefire agreements and the Kuala Lumpur Peace Agreement, as well as the five-point agreement made in The Fuxian Lake Meeting in China. It is also an infringement on the ASEAN Charter and the UN Charter, which prohibit the illegal occupation of another country, such as Cambodia,” he added.

Phea urged relevant Cambodian institutions, such as the foreign and defence ministries, as well as the State Secretariat of Border Affairs (SSBA), to publicly protest the actions taken by Thailand.

“Thailand is establishing a fait accompli, creating a new normal on the ground, to claim that the area belongs to them. This must be outright rejected by the Cambodian government,” he said.

-Phnom Penh Post-
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