ARANYAPRATHET, Thailand – Thailand’s Deputy Prime Minister and Defense Minister Phumtham Wechayachai held urgent talks on Thursday with his Cambodian counterpart, General Tea Seiha, to ease tensions along the shared border. Both sides agreed to rely on existing bilateral mechanisms as the main channel to resolve outstanding issues and committed to returning troop deployments to the status quo of 2024.
Phumtham was joined by Deputy Defense Minister Gen. Natthaphon Nakphanit and Army Chief of Staff Gen. Thongchai Rod-yoi at the high-level meeting in Cambodia. The Cambodian delegation included Gen. Eth Sarath, Deputy Commander-in-Chief and Joint Chiefs of Staff, and Gen. Mao Sophan, Deputy Commander-in-Chief and Army Commander.
The two nations reaffirmed their mutual commitment to peaceful conflict resolution, with Phumtham emphasizing the importance of trust and sustained cooperation in security matters. “Thailand places great value on maintaining good relations and solving all issues through peaceful means and close cooperation,” he stated.
As part of the agreement, both sides will gradually revert troop levels in border areas to those maintained in 2024.
