SA KAEO, Thailand – The Burapha Task Force began negotiations with Cambodian civilians and military personnel to stop agricultural activities encroaching on Thai territory near Ang Sila Village, Khok Sung District, Sa Kaeo Province. The First Army Region Operations Center received a report that local Thai residents observed a Cambodian tractor preparing land for cultivation between border markers 42 and 44. The 12th Ranger Forces Regiment sent patrols to inspect the area and found Cambodian civilians plowing land beyond the designated Red Line, which marks overlapping claims, and into undisputed Thai territory. Armed Cambodian soldiers were also present with the civilians in this area.
Thai Ranger units began immediate field negotiations with their Cambodian counterparts, using GPS tracking to display the coordinates of the Red and Blue border lines. The Thai delegation showed that the agricultural activity violated the 2000 bilateral Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on joint border claims, as the tractor had crossed the Red Line into Thai territory. Thai officers requested an immediate halt to all unauthorized activities in the disputed area until higher-level administrative reviews are completed by both countries.
The negotiations ended with the Cambodian delegation agreeing to suspend all agricultural preparations until international border demarcation talks reach a resolution. Thai border officials then briefed affected local villagers and are working with the Joint Border Committee to conduct an official site survey to support formal border demarcation. The Burapha Task Force reaffirmed its commitment to maintaining border sovereignty and protecting communities along the Thai-Cambodian frontier. (NNT)
