Samsul Rizal Bin Musa, the Malaysian head of the ASEAN Interim Observer Team (IOT) to Thailand, has urged Thailand to remain calm and cease all provocative actions at Prey Chan village in Banteay Meanchey province. He called for Thai authorities to let the Joint Boundary Committee (JBC) do their job and resolve the case.
The IOT visited the Ban Nong Ya Kaeo area, on the Thai side of Prey Chan, telling Thai media that he did not want to see the border area get any more tense.
“I am very sorry. Whatever situation happens right here, must be contained here. We will wait until the JBC meeting and wait until the next decision, okay? Keep calm and everything will be okay, no problem. Believe us and believe in God!” Bin Musa was quoted as saying by Khaosod English on September 17.
In another Khaosod video clip, he noted that the soldiers of the Thai armed forces are of a very high standard, and that they should not worry that “anyone is coming”, presumably to suggest that Cambodian soldiers will not attempt to encroach on their land.
Prey Chan and Chouk Chey villages in Cambodia are the latest flash points of the ongoing border disputes, with Thailand claiming that Cambodians have encroached on their territory for decades.
Nearly 30 people, including monks, were injured on September 17, when Thai riot police and armed soldiers attempted to place more razor wire barricades in Prey Chan and clashed with Cambodian villagers.
The areas in question were once home to refugee camps which were home to thousands of Cambodians who fled the civil war. Cambodians have lived peacefully in the villages for decades, without any protests from the Thai authorities.
Banteay Meanchey provincial governor Oum Reatrey has repeatedly asked his Thai counterpart to let the JBC resolve this issue.
